Dog control laws adequate - former minister

The architect of current dog control laws believes they are comprehensive and says anyone with suggestions on how to improve them should lobby Local Government Minister Rodney Hide.

Chris Carter is now an independent MP but in 2003 was local government minister in the Labour-led government when Parliament passed his Dog Control Amendment Bill with overwhelming support. It included measures such as microchipping all puppies, banning certain breeds, increasing dog control officers' abilities to enter properties and increasing fines.

The bill was prompted by the horrific attack on Auckland seven-year-old Carolina Anderson, and Mr Carter said at the time such attacks were "unacceptable".

But they continue to happen; yesterday, a four-year-old girl was mauled in Masterton and a two-year-old girl in Kawerau.

The four-year-old was visiting family in Masterton when the bull mastiff-pitbull cross became aggressive, pinned her to the ground and bit her face. She was being supervised by an adult as she petted the dog, which had been a family pet for 10 years "without problem", Acting Sergeant Tony Matheson of Masterton police told NZPA.

She suffered extensive soft tissue damage around her face, which Mr Matheson described as "pretty nasty", and is undergoing reconstructive surgery in the plastic surgery unit at Hutt Hospital.

The dog's owner, a close family member but not one of the child's parents, has been charged under the Dog Control Act with owning a dog which has caused injury. The charge carries a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment, up to a $20,000 fine, or both.

The person will appear in Masterton District Court on June 24.

Masterton District Council chief executive Wes ten Hove said the dog would not survive the next 24 hours.

The girl mauled in Kawerau received a nasty facial laceration which appeared to be from a single bite, said Acting Sergeant Ian Dodds of Kawerau police.

"But you know what dog bites are like, they're pretty horrible, especially with a two-year-old girl."

Police are considering laying charges against the dog's owner, and the dog is being dealt with by the Kawerau District Council.

Despite the attacks, Mr Carter remained confident the law was tough enough, lamenting only that the current National government had axed his $500,000-a-year education package for schools.

"It was a very comprehensive response to the Carolina Anderson situation and it was the most comprehensive package to the danger of dogs that, I think, has ever been passed in Parliament," Mr Carter told NZPA.

"(But) you can never win on this."

The package was attacked in 2003 as being "draconian" and implemented by a "nanny state", he said.

"To hear all this bleating and wailing now, that the legislation wasn't adequate, makes me sort of laugh, really, when I think of all the rubbish and opposition we got about it because it was seen as too draconian."

There was merit in the argument that owners, rather than dogs, should be registered, but that led to a raft of problems, such as proving who owned a dog.

He conceded there would always be irresponsible owners but was adamant the law was sufficient.

"I'm really sorry that these attacks occurred... if people can come up with suggestions that can improve what I thought was a very comprehensive package, and you can always make things better, then make those suggestions.

"I would hope that politicians would be responsive to sensible suggestions."

Mr Hide could not be contacted for comment.