Dog attacks caused by lack of education

Dog attacks are the result of bad owners, according to pit bull advocates, who also say back yard breeding can cause problem dogs.

A volunteer for the animal rights group Safe, Carmelia Ng, says owners need to be taught how to properly train a dog before buying one.

Her comments come in the wake of last week’s attack by a pit bull on seven-year-old Darnell Minarapa-Brown of Takanini and the attack by staffordshire cross dogs on a pregnant Christchurch woman yesterday.

“Its just too easy for someone to go to the pound and get a dog,” Ms Ng said. “They don’t go under any training.”

Listen to Carmelia Ng talk about the need for owners to be more responsible. Audio: Alex McKenzie

Melita Taylor, a Howick woman who has rescued dogs for the last 20 years, said a factor causing dog attacks was an increase in backyard breeding, and the selling of puppies to people via Trade Me and Facebook.

“When a puppy is taken off a mother too young the mother doesn’t get the time to teach the puppy inhibition,” she said.

“They can have long term behavioural issues. You might see on Facebook or Trade Me people are selling puppies two weeks old.

“They’re just churning them [out] in a yard and expecting them to be normal dogs when that’s not normal canine behaviour.”

Ms Taylor said people don’t often know the warning signs when a dog is going to bite.

“Then they say the dog bit without warning, and put them to sleep,” she said.

“I think it’s a real injustice.”

The pit bull attack on Darnell Minarapa-Brown has reignited the public push to ban the breed in New Zealand.

Ms Ng said banning the breed was not the answer and any dog could be aggressive if it was treated badly.

“Pit bulls aren’t dangerous dogs, it’s people and how they’re raised that make them dangerous.”

Auckland Council's animal management manager, Geoff Keber, said the issue with pit bulls that they were large dogs with powerful jaws.

“When they do create an incident, the incident is likely to be more serious,” he said.

This week, Auckland Council is rolling out a new smartphone app designed to educate children on dog safety.

Mr Keber said he hoped the app would teach children how to deal with dogs, in an attempt to reduce the number of dog attacks.

“We also want to work with dog owners who may own dogs that we don’t know about and teach them how to own a dog.”

Ms Ng said the app was a good step towards making children and people more aware about dogs.

She said owners needed to take responsibility if their dog attacked somebody.

“You don’t see the owners getting into any trouble when their dog has a attacked child or another person or dog. It’s always the dog that gets the punishment.”

Mr Keber said people forgot that dogs were not humans, and that they were predators which could sometimes lash out.

Ms Ng said: “I want Auckland Council to realise that even if you blame the dogs it’s just not going to get anywhere, especially when you have irresponsible owners.”