The number of dog attacks in Northland is on the rise, and authorities now admit they've got a problem.
It comes after a 95-year-old Kaikohe man lost his dog in a pack attack just before Christmas, only to find himself a victim six weeks later.
"He meant everything to me. It's all I had since my wife died," local Jim Morgan said.
After being attacked, too, Mr Morrison has been too frightened to leave his home.
"I managed to beat one of them off with my walking stick, the other one grabbed me by the thigh and the person with them who looked like a teenager came and grabbed one and I managed to beat the other one off."
Neighbours say dangerous dogs are an ongoing issue in the area.
"We walk every single day and were avid ballroom dancers and like to keep fit and gosh, how many times have we been attacked? At least a dozen times - enough to be very terrified and sometimes slightly injured," one woman said.
The council admits it's got a problem in the Far North.
"There's a limit to capacity. This district has affordability issues and we have to cut our cloth," Far North District Council CEO Shaun Clarke said.
The number of animal control officers has increased, and one option is to target them to specific areas.
"From squads that carry out intense door-to-door inquiries about registration of dogs - we've got just over 7000 registered dogs in the district, but an unknown number of unregistered dogs," Mr Clarke said.
Dog-related injuries are on the rise nationally, with 1400 last year alone. In the Far North, there were 183, and this year, there has already been 26 attacks.
Checks for unregistered dogs are already underway to avoid more violent dog attacks like Mr Morgan's.
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