The New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons is calling for an investigation into the banning of certain dog breeds, but one dog behaviourist Newshub spoke to says a ban isn't the answer, and more emphasis should be put on how the dog is trained.
The association says there are two hospital admissions a day and plastic surgeons deal with "severe" dog bites around twice a week, the latest a seven-year-old boy with facial injuries in south Auckland.
In 10 years, there have been nearly 100,000 dog-related injuries, with the number of cases continuing to rise. More than a third of the victims were children, mostly with facial injuries.
More than half of all injuries are to the face, and the younger someone is, the more chance they have of being bitten in the face because they're closer to the ground.
"We're very worried about the incidents of dog bites," says Dr Sally Langley of the New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons. "It seems to be increasing."
A seven-year-old Auckland boy is the latest victim. He was pinned down by a pit bull terrier while visiting his uncle and was bitten on the face.
Plastic surgeons now want an investigation into whether certain breeds should be banned after having to work on so many Kiwis with life-changing injuries.
"They may require further operations," says Dr Langley. "They're disfigured to some extent. Even small dog bites cause scars that are permanent."
The latest figures show dog bite claims through ACC have risen by more than 20 percent in the past 10 years. Those claims cost nearly $4.5 million to the end of June 2015, up from $2 million a decade earlier.
The Institute of Animal Control Officers says pit bulls and other bull terriers are responsible for the most savage maulings.
President Les Dalton says there's a simple solution -- get rid of the breed entirely.
"We've got to close the breed down," he says. "We've got to. There's enough evidence there, and I just don't think Kiwis are prepared to put up with it anymore."
Mr Dalton has been in the business for 40 years, and says a campaign should be launched to phase out pit bulls and other bull terrier crossbreeds.
"We would have to make compulsory neutering and spaying and have a campaign of detection. And those who want to hand their breeds over voluntarily, we go for it."
But dog behaviourist Dan Abdelnoor says banning a breed outright isn't the answer.
"No I don't think it would, because people would move to other types of dogs, plus the humans would not have learnt anything," says Mr Abdelnoor.
He says a lot of it's down to how the dog's been trained.
"When the dog becomes elevated into the position of 'I'm in charge; I'm the pack leader,' that's when it can really go wrong."
The seven-year-old boy caught up in yesterday's dog attack is in a stable condition in hospital. Auckland Council says for now the dog is in a shelter and decisions on what happens next will come at the end of its investigation.
Newshub.
