Pitbull terriers are back in the news after the brutal mauling of a seven-year-old child.
Darnell Mikaere Minarapa-Brown was rushed to hospital, undergoing surgery after he was attacked by his uncle's dog.
He received nine puncture wounds to the face.
The attack has again sparked calls for tighter controls around dangerous dogs.
But what exactly does a dangerous dog look like?
Mixed breeds often fly right under the radar, causing a lot of confusion.
In New Zealand, you can't import pit bulls, and if the council believes a dog wholly or predominantly belongs on the 'banned' list, that animal must be muzzled.
But there are problems identifying what a pit bull terrier actually is. The SPCA is working on a scoring system that will help identify pit bulls.
In the United Kingdom it's quite a different story.
They've produced a checklist on what a banned dog looks like. If the animal checks enough boxes, the owner could the prosecuted for owning a banned breed and the dog could be euthanized.
Features include
Story took a look at some rescued dogs in New Zealand to see whether they'd pass the UK's checklist.
Watch the video for the full Story report.
