More than 1000 children were victims of dog attacks across Auckland last year as dog control officers struggle to keep up with increasing numbers of menacing and roaming dogs.
The cost of injuries has risen too, with more than $2.5m paid out by ACC for dog-related injuries.
Azaiah, 6, was playing at a neighbour's house unsupervised at the age of 2 when their dog attacked him.
His mother Shayna Clausen said the dog's owners came out to see her son after hearing the commotion.
"They grabbed him and took him in to their room and I think they were running cold water onto his head.
"Honestly, I thought he was going to die, that was my automatic thought."
Azaiah required surgery and months of recovery, with scars from the attack visible on his scalp.
Clausen said she comes from a dog family and that it has been "hard to have that fear that was never there before".
"It's cut our beach trips short, going to the park, the playground, just because of all the dogs around."
Auckland Council dog controller Emma Ginsberg said it was "really stressful" to see a child having been bitten.
"That's going to scar a child for life, so to see that when the incident could have been prevented is really upsetting."
There are more than 2000 unregistered "menacing" dogs across Auckland, and the council said that the number was growing.
Ginsberg said dog control officers are flat out and that shelters are at capacity.
"The rate of aggression in dogs has risen and that is due to dogs not being socialised correctly.
"They're not going through training, they're not desexed, they're not registered, they're free roaming in our streets."
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