Owners of pitbull dogs say an outright ban on the breed won't stop attacks, and would be an outdated approach.
There are calls for tougher laws this morning, after a seven-year-old boy was mauled by a pitbull in Auckland.
He has had surgery for a wound to his face.
Pitbull Terrier Association spokeswoman Karen Batchelor says while it's upsetting, the attack could have been prevented.
But she says an outright ban on pitbulls isn't the way to go.
She says if an individual dog is a dangerous then having it neutered, microchipped, or muzzled is appropriate. But that doesn't mean extreme measures should be in place for all dogs of that breed or all dogs.
She says unsupervised children are a risk, especially boys between the ages of five and nine.
People need to be careful with all dogs, and remember they're animals, not four-legged humans, she says.
