Where's SAFE? 6,500 dogs killed in Auckland every year!

[Chief Stipe]

Roaming bulldogs invade home and maul toddler in life-threatening attack

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18-month-old toddler attacked in own yard by two american bulldogs

VIDEO CREDIT: Paddy Gower Has Issues

This video is part of this week's episode of Paddy Gower Has Issues, made with the support of New Zealand On Air.

A toddler is lucky to be alive after being attacked, mauled and bitten by dogs roaming an Auckland street.

The 2-year-old suffered life-threatening injuries after being bitten on the neck and head by two American bulldogs.

Horrific CCTV footage shows the toddler playing just outside their front door when the first dog wanders onto the property.

The dog makes a beeline for the 18-month-old - and goes straight on the attack.

The footage, from last year, shows the dog biting and attempting to drag the toddler.

The dog is bigger than the child, and moves them across the front yard with ease.

A second dog then enters the property and joins the attack.

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This dog is even bigger than the first, and together they push the toddler against a fence before pinning them to the ground.

Both dogs maul the child, while other children at the property are too scared to help.

Neighbours run onto the property to try and help, but they are unable to pull the two dogs off the toddler.

Finally, two grown men arrive and are able to drag the dogs off the child. They struggle to pull the dogs away.

The attack lasts for about a minute.

The toddler was left with severe injuries - including bites and a fractured shoulder - requiring multiple surgeries and a long hospital stay

Auckland Council provided the footage to Paddy Gower Has Issues to highlight the problem of roaming dogs across the city.

‘It is a crisis’: 6500 dogs killed by Auckland Council in just one year

Last year, 10,000 dogs were impounded in Auckland - the highest number ever. And 6500 dogs were euthanised or put down.

Auckland Council’s general manager of compliance, Robert Irvine, said simply: “It is a crisis.”

He said mass euthanasia was necessary because the pounds were full, as so few owners came back to claim their dogs.

Irvine said the euthanisations “keep the public safe”.

“It means we can bring in more roaming dogs, and our ultimate goal is to protect the public.”

The council says the dogs are either too dangerous to be adopted out, or people don’t want them.

“We don't want to be euthanising dogs. Unfortunately, the shelter capacity is at a maximum,” Irvine said.

Auckland Council has proposed reducing the holding period before euthanasia from seven days to five.

“It is a very controversial proposal,” Irvine said. “But we are seeing so many dogs unfortunately being euthanised, and there’s a cost to it [keeping them at the pound].”

The dogs at the pound include many cute puppies which council staff sadly admit will not find a home, meaning they too will be euthanised

Paddy Gower Has Issues was shown Auckland’s most dangerous dogs at the pound - including one that was leaping and attacking from within its cage. These dogs are truly frightening.

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‘It’s a crisis’: Council calls for help to tackle roaming dog problem

VIDEO CREDIT: Paddy Gower Has Issues

Auckland Council calls for mandatory desexing powers

The big problem with the exploding dog population is that they keep breeding.

“It's just too easy. A dog will just have litter after litter after litter,” Irvine said.

“We've got to reduce the amount of unwanted dogs.”

Desexing - preventing dogs from reproducing - is part of the solution.

However, a big part of the problem is that Auckland Council does not have the ability to desex the dogs it impounds. It needs the owner’s permission - which is difficult to get.

Irvine said this meant many reclaimed dogs were released still able to breed.

He believed giving Auckland Council the power for mandatory desexing, and to introduce the five-day euthanisation rule, would require a law change by the Government.

Auckland Council said its legal advice was that the Dog Control Act allows councils to set their own bylaws relating to dog control, but does not explicitly say that mandatory desexing for impounded dogs falls within this scope. It meant any bylaw with mandatory desexing could be legally challenged.

That meant Auckland Council needed the Government to step in, Irvine said.

“This is a crisis. Now we need the Government’s help,” he said.

“We need some big changes, including the ability for councils to tackle the de-sexing problem.”

Council and Government at war over dogs

But the Government has already rejected Auckland Council’s call for new powers.

Minister for Local Government Simon Watts released a statement that said: “Councils have the authority to develop dog control bylaws tailored to their local circumstances.”

This directly contradicts Auckland Council’s position that a bylaw will not be enough.

Watts said he had instead asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to explore “non-regulatory approaches to support better dog control”.

“This includes improving the quality and consistency of dog-related data,” he said.

Watch full episodes of Paddy Gower Has Issues on Three, Tuesdays at 7.30pm, or stream any time onThreeNow.