December 18, 2024 • 5 mins
The Far North District Council has issued a warning after a string of dog attacks in the region.
An 8-year-old girl was hospitalised after being attacked by a dog on Wednesday at summer hotspot Taipā Beach - prompting calls for a solution.
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania says dog owners need to handle their pets responsibly to prevent similar incidents.
"If you have a dog in the Far North, you make sure that you are looking after it properly and that it can't get out. You make sure that it's registered."
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Ten after four news talks, there'd be an eight year
old girl has been hospitalized after a dog attack at
a Northland beach. Second time there's been a dog attack
at type of beach in just two weeks. The other victim,
a woman, was left bleeding on the beach with puncture
wounds to her legs. Local residents are suggesting that people
should avoid the area or carry weapons while they're on
the beach. Michael Tapania is the Far North mayor.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Culder Michael Hey cureder.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Thanks. The thing with me is this dog being put
down yet?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
No, it's my understanding it's been impounded and our staff
has to go through the proper process under the Dog's
Controls Act before whatever the next step is will happen,
and it's potentially euthanasian, and in this case, I think
it's very likely.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Do you what did the owner say? Do you know
when they found out what had happened.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
No, I haven't had any like kind of on the
ground details other than just kind of a staff report
that's come through following this, So no, I don't know.
All I know is that it's absolutely terrible for our community,
absolutely terrible for this poor young girl. As well, and
I'm glad that she's been taken for treatment, that we've
managed to get this dog and then we'll deal with
(01:10):
it appropriately under the Dog Control Act.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Yeah, Mum says, she's doing okay, she's out of hospital. Now,
do you know what type of dog?
Speaker 2 (01:17):
No, I haven't even had that level of detail come
through or anything like that. But I mean we've had
a space of these across the finals, right, and so
anytime anything like this happens, it's study terrible. We've got
a role to play, a regulatory role to play as
the final district council with our animal management team and
making sure that we sort things out thankfully, right, because
(01:40):
we've just had another recent attack in the area here.
We actually had an animal management officer in Pipa actually
just doing a routine patrol who was able to respond
so quickly.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Right, Well, thank goodness for that. But the problem is
you can't have a dog control officer on every beach
at every time, right. So in the meantime you've got
residents saying if you're going to come to type of beach,
well one they're going to many of them are avoiding
the area and if you are coming, bring a weapon.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Oh I know, and see this isn't a This isn't
a dog problem. This is a dog owner problem. If
you have a dog in the Final North, you make
sure that you are looking after it properly and it
can't get out. Yeah, but they're not that you make
sure it's registered.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Residents are saying. The residents are saying dog owners that
this is one resident merv Priestley Child in all an advocate.
Dog owners are so lax around here about dogs having
to be restrained. That's because even if you get caught
with your dog unrestrained, the worst thing that can happen
is the Dog Control comes around and has a friendly chat.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
I think you'll find that the Final District Council will
be using the full powers that we have under the
Dog Control Act to make sure that we get things
like this under control. Now, we only have twelve Animal
Management officers for the Finals District, which is over seven
two hundred square kilometers in area, But people of the
Finals and Manuhadie all through our council hotline is opening
(03:04):
someone in the Finals or answer your core twenty four
to seven, eight hundred and nine to nine and we
will have our Animal management officers in about throughout the
summer period to respond as best we can.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Yeah, that's fair enough. Is your advice to locals, to
tourists rather going to these beaches, take you know, bring
a weapon, bring some kind of protection.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
On. Well, I mean, this could happen anywhere right now.
We've had a couple of incidents specifically here in Typer
and Doubtless Bay in our area. But I'm not going
to act any differently to the way that I usually do.
But that strong message out there is to anybody who
does own a dog, especially in this entire country during
the holiday period, there's a lot more people around now.
(03:46):
You make sure that you never forget to close you
get you make sure that you tie your dog up.
If you're tying it up, you make sure that you're
looking after it and everything like that. You just need
to have a little bit more restrictions in place on yourself,
keep yourself so that we can keep people safe at
the end of.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
The day, because if not, the counsel might put your
dog down.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Well, yeah, we are going to be following up everything
that comes through and making sure that dog owners are
how to account if they're not treating their animals appropriately
and keeping up others around them safe.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
All right, Michael, thank you for that. That's Michael Tapania
the Far North Mea, just gone fourteen after four. Is
there anything scarier than a big, frightening, menacing dog. You know,
sometimes you find yourself walking down the street where maybe
you come across these things. There is nothing more frightening.
I can remember being a kid and seeing that this
(04:38):
giant pitbull just roaming around and you you absolutely pack yourself.
And if they start running towards it, even if they're
not barking, it's a frightening thing to happen. So to
have them attacking people on beaches, this is not a
good thing.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to
news talks.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
Ten after four news talks, there'd be an eight year
old girl has been hospitalized after a dog attack at
a Northland beach. Second time there's been a dog attack
at type of beach in just two weeks. The other victim,
a woman, was left bleeding on the beach with puncture
wounds to her legs. Local residents are suggesting that people
should avoid the area or carry weapons while they're on
the beach. Michael Tapania is the Far North mayor.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Culder Michael Hey cureder.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Thanks. The thing with me is this dog being put
down yet?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
No, it's my understanding it's been impounded and our staff
has to go through the proper process under the Dog's
Controls Act before whatever the next step is will happen,
and it's potentially euthanasian, and in this case, I think
it's very likely.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Do you what did the owner say? Do you know
when they found out what had happened.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
No, I haven't had any like kind of on the
ground details other than just kind of a staff report
that's come through following this, So no, I don't know.
All I know is that it's absolutely terrible for our community,
absolutely terrible for this poor young girl. As well, and
I'm glad that she's been taken for treatment, that we've
managed to get this dog and then we'll deal with
(01:10):
it appropriately under the Dog Control Act.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Yeah, Mum says, she's doing okay, she's out of hospital. Now,
do you know what type of dog?
Speaker 2 (01:17):
No, I haven't even had that level of detail come
through or anything like that. But I mean we've had
a space of these across the finals, right, and so
anytime anything like this happens, it's study terrible. We've got
a role to play, a regulatory role to play as
the final district council with our animal management team and
making sure that we sort things out thankfully, right, because
(01:40):
we've just had another recent attack in the area here.
We actually had an animal management officer in Pipa actually
just doing a routine patrol who was able to respond
so quickly.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Right, Well, thank goodness for that. But the problem is
you can't have a dog control officer on every beach
at every time, right. So in the meantime you've got
residents saying if you're going to come to type of beach,
well one they're going to many of them are avoiding
the area and if you are coming, bring a weapon.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Oh I know, and see this isn't a This isn't
a dog problem. This is a dog owner problem. If
you have a dog in the Final North, you make
sure that you are looking after it properly and it
can't get out. Yeah, but they're not that you make
sure it's registered.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Residents are saying. The residents are saying dog owners that
this is one resident merv Priestley Child in all an advocate.
Dog owners are so lax around here about dogs having
to be restrained. That's because even if you get caught
with your dog unrestrained, the worst thing that can happen
is the Dog Control comes around and has a friendly chat.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
I think you'll find that the Final District Council will
be using the full powers that we have under the
Dog Control Act to make sure that we get things
like this under control. Now, we only have twelve Animal
Management officers for the Finals District, which is over seven
two hundred square kilometers in area, But people of the
Finals and Manuhadie all through our council hotline is opening
(03:04):
someone in the Finals or answer your core twenty four
to seven, eight hundred and nine to nine and we
will have our Animal management officers in about throughout the
summer period to respond as best we can.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Yeah, that's fair enough. Is your advice to locals, to
tourists rather going to these beaches, take you know, bring
a weapon, bring some kind of protection.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
On. Well, I mean, this could happen anywhere right now.
We've had a couple of incidents specifically here in Typer
and Doubtless Bay in our area. But I'm not going
to act any differently to the way that I usually do.
But that strong message out there is to anybody who
does own a dog, especially in this entire country during
the holiday period, there's a lot more people around now.
(03:46):
You make sure that you never forget to close you
get you make sure that you tie your dog up.
If you're tying it up, you make sure that you're
looking after it and everything like that. You just need
to have a little bit more restrictions in place on yourself,
keep yourself so that we can keep people safe at
the end of.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
The day, because if not, the counsel might put your
dog down.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Well, yeah, we are going to be following up everything
that comes through and making sure that dog owners are
how to account if they're not treating their animals appropriately
and keeping up others around them safe.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
All right, Michael, thank you for that. That's Michael Tapania
the Far North Mea, just gone fourteen after four. Is
there anything scarier than a big, frightening, menacing dog. You know,
sometimes you find yourself walking down the street where maybe
you come across these things. There is nothing more frightening.
I can remember being a kid and seeing that this
(04:38):
giant pitbull just roaming around and you you absolutely pack yourself.
And if they start running towards it, even if they're
not barking, it's a frightening thing to happen. So to
have them attacking people on beaches, this is not a
good thing.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to
news talks.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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