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Auckland Council animal management believes a staggering 80 per cent of dog attacks are not being reported each year. At a Regulatory and Community Safety Committee meeting on September 5, animal management manager Elly Waitoa showed how council reports (2015 and 2019) for dog attacks only accounted for about 20 per cent of ACC claims for dog bite injuries.
In the 2018/19 reporting year, 716 dog attacks were reported to council, while 3626 ACC claims for dog bites were lodged. She said the dog population normally increased by about one per cent annually, but since the pandemic, there had been a five-and-a-half to six per cent increase year-on-year.
“A study undertaken by the Starship Foundation found that Māori and Pasifika children are disproportionately represented as victims of dog attacks and children aged zero to nine years, in particular, receive head and facial injuries, because of their height.”
Waitoa encouraged councillors to engage with their communities on issues like registration and responsible dog ownership.
