As calls grow for tougher laws on dangerous dogs there is also a warning against knee-jerk reactions pushing things too far.
A 62-year-old woman died after she was mauled by three dogs in Northland's Kaihū last week. Police believed two cyclists were chased by dogs in the same area in the months leading up to the attack.
Four days later, three people were injured – one critically – after they were attacked by a pair of dogs in Bryndwr, Christchurch.
Emergency doctor Natasha Duncan-Sutherland told 1News while it may seem like the list of dog attacks is growing, that is not the case.
"It's just a problem that has been increasing for quite a long time."
Spate of dog attacks, one fatal, spark calls for tougher dog laws - Watch on TVNZ+
Dog bite claims to ACC have increased by 19% over the last four years to 15,000 costing more than $18 million a year.
Duncan-Sutherland said research showed the figure is more like 29,220 ACC dog-related injuries – and plenty went unreported.
"What we see predominantly are bite injuries, which tend to be puncture wounds, which are deep, and then injury to the underlying tissues, which can include injury to nerves or vessels."
Duncan-Sutherland is behind a dog bite prevention group that has been running educational campaigns for the last six years and researching the issue.
But she said legislative change is needed to see real impact.
As momentum for that change grows, associate professor of law at Auckland University, Marcelo Rodriguez Ferrere, is warning of reactive rather than proactive change.
"The problem is knee-jerk reactions and moves to amend the law that make you feel good in the moment but may not necessarily be great for long-term legislative cohesion and actually dealing with the problem that we've got," he said.
Experts are calling for well-researched changes to the Dog Control Act – tougher rules the SPCA and Auckland Council have long been calling for.
The changes include mandatory desexing; stronger council powers to seize dogs and enforce fencing limits; mandatory reporting of any known attacks by vets and doctors; and tougher penalties for irresponsible owners.
Auckland Council's general manager of licensing and compliance Robert Irvine said animal management is limited under the Dog Control Act.
"So effectively, when a dog's attacked someone, our key enforcement option is really prosecution and that's through the courts," he said.
"That could take well over a year and too often we're having to release the dog back into the community, effectively on bail."
Another option was to hold the dogs at shelters, which are at capacity.
Around 10,000 dogs are impounded each year in Auckland and there are reports of about 20,000 roaming dogs.
With local councils overwhelmed, Rodriguez Ferrere said the issue needed a nationwide approach.
"We've got different councils doing different sorts of things and not really having the funds to engage in appropriate enforcement.
"If we want this fixed, we'll have to put our money where our mouth is."
Local Government Minister Simon Watts said he is moving quickly on the matter and will have more to say in the next few days.
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including a New Zealander arrested for allegedly accessing extremist material, and Scott Robertson has a new job. (Source: 1News)
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