Two cyclists were believed to have been chased by dogs in Northland's Kaihū in the months leading up to a woman's mauling death last week.
Emergency services were called to a rural address off State Highway 12 around 11.25am on February 17.
Mihiata Te Rore suffered unsurvivable injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The 62-year-old had been visiting someone she knew at the property when three dogs attacked her.
Roddy Pihema spoke to Breakfast about the issue of dogs, in the wake of yesterday’s fatal attack. (Source: Breakfast)
The dogs had since been euthanised, Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer confirmed today.
Pilmer added that police investigating Te Rore's death had received "a number" of calls in relation to dogs roaming in the Kaihū area.
"Our inquiries so far have also indicated there may have been two previous incidents in the same area in November and December involving two cyclists who were chased by some dogs."
The cyclists involved, and anyone with information, was asked to contact police on 105 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
Call for urgent change
Auckland Council is hoping recent tragic dog attacks, including the fatal Northland attack, will make the Government step in and make changes.
On Saturday, three people were injured after two dogs attacked people in the Christchurch suburb of Bryndwr.
The attacks have sparked calls for an overhaul of the Dog Control Act - with Te Rore being the fourth person killed by dogs in the past four years.
Speaking to Morning Report, Auckland Council general manager of licensing and compliance Robert Irvine said the council had been calling for change for almost a year.
SPCA’s Chief Scientific Officer Dr Arnja Dale said New Zealand's dog control laws were "incredibly outdated" and needed an overhaul. (Source: 1News)
The issue of roaming dogs – with a number of attacks on young kids – was "really, really bad and it just keeps on getting worse", Irvine said.
In Auckland alone, Irvine said there were 17,000 reports of roaming dogs every year – putting the community at risk.
"We want people to be out and about, enjoying our parks, going for walks and having the fear of being attacked by a dog is not something that we want."
The Dog Control Act was nearly 30 years old and very outdated, Irvine said.
Local Government Minister Simon Watts previously said he was seeking advice on how central government could respond to the attacks and the Dog Control Act.
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