An incident in which a roaming dog attacked a 5-year-old on school grounds has prompted Ruapehu District Council to urge the community to respect animal control officers and keep their animals under control.
“Last week we received a report of a deeply concerning incident where roaming dogs entered school grounds and harmed a 5-year-old child,” Ruapehu District Council executive manager of regulatory and customer services Sharon Robinson said.
Robinson said she understood the child was taken to a hospital emergency department for a check-up after the attack.
The school involved in the dog attack did not wish to be named but a spokesperson said it was “incredibly happy with the response to the incident” by the council and the animal control officer.
“The child is back at school.”
Robinson said the dog involved in the attack was surrendered to the council by its owners and euthanised.
“They were very compliant. It was an extremely sad situation.”
She said there had also been incidents of stock being worried and killed by roaming dogs, and it was an alarming reminder of the potential risks posed by dogs that were not kept under control.
Animal control officers had to follow up with dog owners after such incidents.
Robinson said it was news nobody ever wanted to hear.
“Having to put a dog down is a horrible thing to do.
“We really do appreciate those compliant owners ... and those who work with us to secure and hand over their dogs when necessary.
“It saves the ratepayer a lot of money not having to go through a court case, and it obviously prevents a lot of angst for the victims.”
Euthanising an animal left a hole in someone’s family but it was necessary in cases where classifying the animal as a menacing or dangerous dog was not enough to ensure public safety, she said.
“Keeping dogs under control is something that everybody needs to work at.
“We’ve actually seen significant improvements over the last six months, but obviously one aggressive attack is one too many, and nobody wants to have to deal with that as a dog owner, victim or observer.”
In a statement, the council asked dog owners to support public safety by ensuring their dogs were always kept under control.
Robinson said the focus of the council’s animal control team was firstly education and providing owners with guidance to maintain their obligations under the Dog Control Act.
“We are following up with the family to make sure they know they have our team’s empathy as well.”
Under the Act, dog owners are legally required to protect the safety of people and other animals.
“We ask dog owners to secure their pets on their property to prevent them from roaming freely and, when out in public, ensure that they are under control at all times,” Robinson said.
“The animal control team is committed to maintaining a safe environment for everyone and, while we deeply empathise with everyone affected by these tragic incidents, we make no apology for the tough decisions that must be made when dogs pose a threat to the community.
“Our animal control officers deal with incredibly taxing situations that are emotionally distressing for everyone involved – the officers, the victims and the dog owners. Their primary focus is to keep our communities safe, and we ask the public to support the difficult work they do on their behalf.”
Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.