A five-year-old girl is lucky to be alive after she was savagely attacked by two pitbulls near Whakatane and a three-year-old girl almost lost an eye after being attacked by a pitbull terrier in Wairoa.
The attacks, last weekend, brought the number of serious dog maulings to three in the last week.
Yesterday MSN NZ polled more than 6000 people and found that 83 per cent were in favour of banning pitbulls from New Zealand.
The little girl was taken to Waikato Hospital where doctors performed 10 hours of extensive surgery after she suffered serious facial and head injuries. She is now in a stable condition.
Her mother was also attacked as she dived on her daughter's body to protect her.
It is understood the two were attacked when they were visiting a neighbour who let the dogs — a female pitbull and male pitbull mastiff-cross — out of their kennel.
The attack took place on Morrison Rd in Taneatua, about 13km south of Whakatane in the eastern Bay of Plenty.
The dogs were later destroyed.
On Sunday, a three-year-old girl had to have 20 stitches in her face and almost lost an eye after being attacked by a pitbull terrier in Wairoa.
Only days before, former All White Stu Jacobs was mauled after stepping in to stop a bull mastiff-cross attacking a man and his labrador at Rongotai College in Wellington.
Jacobs was teaching soccer to more than 20 children — including his two young daughters — when he was attacked.
He was bitten on his ankle, forearm and hand, and required 37 stitches.
In April 2007, 56-year-old Virginia Ohlson died after being attacked by a pitbull and a staffordshire-cross.
The dog belonged to her nephew, Murupara man Shane Joseph Rurehe, who was sentenced to 18 months' jail.
Are there too many dangerous dogs in New Zealand? What should be done to prevent these maulings? Have your say below.
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