Far North fatal dog attacks: Community rallies to find solutions to problems with roaming, aggressive dogs

Police are investigating the “level of training and care” of the dog that killed a Northland grandmother as the community rallies to find solutions to ongoing issues with roaming aggressive dogs.

Nearly three months after Elizabeth “Effie” Whittaker was fatally attacked on her Otiria Rd property in Moerewa while trying to break up a dog fight, police are continuing to make inquiries.

A spokesman said while police cannot reveal details of the investigation including the breed of the dog responsible or its registration history, “police are still investigating the level of the training and care of the dog prior to the incident”.

Meanwhile, the community has come together to find solutions to the region’s burgeoning dog problems.

Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board member Roddy Pihema said about 40 people turned out to a public hui in Moerewa on November 14 and many had concerns about roaming dogs.

But the most talked about topic was responsible dog ownership, he said.

“That was the key thing that kept coming up.

“The community realises we need to take accountability for our actions. Isn’t the dog … it’s the owners not taking responsibility for their dogs.

“We’re the ones who bring these dogs into our communities, we have to accept we have a responsibility, like we do to our children.

“To know where our dogs are, that they’re not pestering people or acting aggressively or roaming.

“Would you let your 2-year-old roam the streets alone? Of course you wouldn’t, so why would you let your dog roam the streets?”

Pihema said people also discussed getting Far North District Council’s (FNDC) animal management staff and other relevant groups into the community to provide training and education for dog owners and children.

“This isn’t about one incident, this is about a long-term issue that’s been here for a very long time,” he said.

“We’re hoping to educate our children, and are looking at having discussions with schools … because they’re at more risk of being attacked in our community.”

Police have confirmed the dog that attacked Effie on October 12 belonged to the owners of the property.

It was shot and killed by a neighbour shortly after the incident.

While it was not roaming, residents say an increase in the number of large, aggressive dogs in the town is causing widespread concern.

Neville Thomson, 69, was also mauled by dogs on his property in Pānguru in August 2022, and there have been countless attacks on people’s pets and livestock, and reports of threatening feral dogs, in the Far North.

Meanwhile, the number of menacing dogs in the district has increased, along with the amount of dog attacks, threatening behaviour, and wandering dogs.

FNDC compliance manager Rochelle Deane said the problem was not unique to the Far North.

Deane called on dog owners to contain, register, microchip, desex and look after their animals, and urged residents to report roaming, aggressive dogs and attacks.

“There needs to be a community response to dog safety rather than the council having to come in and remove dogs.

“Owners need to take responsibility for their dogs.

“The council can educate and assist, but if the dog owner does not do the right thing, attacks will continue to happen.”

The Far North has the highest rate of dog-related injuries in the country, according to ACC data.

There were 427 ACC claims in the 2022-23 year – or 5.88 dog-related injuries per 1000 people per year – which is more than double the national average and much higher than for Whangārei and Kaipara district councils.

Deane said data used by ACC to measure annual dog attacks shows much higher totals than the council’s own statistics.

For example, in 2022-23, the council recorded just 86 attacks on people compared to ACC’s recorded 427 dog-related injury claims.

“We believe a key reason for ACC recording higher rates of dog-related injuries is that most dog attacks are not reported to the council because the dogs involved are from the owner’s household or wider family.

“People rarely report their own or their family’s dogs to the council.

“That does not diminish the fact that the Far North does have a high rate of dog attacks on people, on other dogs, and on animals.”

Deane said there was a “range of reasons” for the high rate of attacks in the region.

These include that many people live in remote areas, meaning poorly controlled dogs never come to the attention of animal management officers until someone is harassed by them.

Other factors are having dogs that are not trained and socialised, not supervising young children around dogs, and not getting dogs desexed.

“While it is easy to blame the council for not doing enough, the discrepancy between council and ACC statistics proves that this is as much a community problem as an enforcement one – we can only act on incidents that we know about.”

Last year, FNDC issued 506 infringements to dog owners who had unregistered dogs.

Deane said animal management officers “have now started following up on known unregistered dogs, including site visits to their residence if required”.

“Proactive visits to find unknown dogs will also occur.

“Anyone caught with an unregistered dog may receive an infringement fine of $300 per dog.”

Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering health, roading, lifestyle, business and animal welfare issues.