Council dog laws not being enforced

Two dog attacks in the Lakes District in the space of eight days have coincided with an admission by a council officer that bylaw enforcement in the region is among the worst in the country.

Eileen Norris, 65, was bitten on an arm and hand by a staffordshire terrier in Arrowtown on Wednesday, while a 13-year-old boy required six stitches on his leg after being bitten in Queenstown the previous Wednesday.

Constable Steve Watt, of Queenstown, said the owner of the staffordshire terrier would face charges and the dog was likely to be destroyed, while the other dog was yet to be found by police.

Speaking at a meeting of the Wanaka Community Board on Tuesday, Lakes Environmental compliance officer Darryl Taylor said he had reviewed dog control statistics at a recent conference.

"We have to be the most lenient of areas in New Zealand," he said. MORE>>