Recent dog attacks have prompted the New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons (NZAPS) to call for action.
A six-year old boy is in Auckland's Middlemore Hospital after being mauled in the Bay of Plenty at the weekend.
Two women were attacked by a pack of dogs in separate incidents in Hawke's Bay earlier this month.
NZAPS president Dr Sally Langley told RadioLIVE there needs to be some kind of action – potentially through tighter laws – to prevent further attacks.
"We know that we do have significant dog control laws, but it's not working for all cases – we'd like that to be looked into," she says.
"Often it's poorly controlled dogs, maybe the enforcement issue is the problem."
Dr Langley says the impact of dog attacks is deeper than superficial scars.
"Some children and adults require further surgery over the years to try and improve the appearance of… ugly looking scars on their faces," she says. "They have psychosocial problems, change the way they wear their hair, how they socialise."
RadioLIVE / 3 News
