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Dogs continue their reign as the animal that causes the most injuries in New Zealand as the SPCA warns that pets bought during Covid plus the cost of living crisis means there is an “overpopulation of companion animals”.
ACC figures, released under the Official Information Act, show dog injuries of all sorts cost the organisation $23.4 million in 2021. ACC’s 2022 data went as far as September – by then there were 20,469 active dog injury claims costing ACC $17.9m. Some active claims can relate to injuries still being paid out on from previous years.
Dog injuries were the most common but it was horse injuries – costing $34.2m in 2021 and on a similar track in 2022 – that cost ACC the most.
The injuries cover all sorts of incidents ranging from being struck by an animal – by far the most common injury – through to puncture wounds, tripping and stumbling.
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The Wellington City Council previously confirmed serious dog attacks were going through a “sharp rise” in the capital after dog ownership rose from 12,000 before the pandemic to 14,000 now.
Dog attacks increased 70% over the course of a year while there was a significant increase in the number of dogs classified as menacing (237.5%) or dangerous (111%).
A dog can be classified as menacing either by its breed or by its behaviour. It means the dog has to wear a muzzle and be on a leash when out in public.
Former city councillor Simon Woolf – who in 2018 called for greater enforcement of dog restraining rules – on Wednesday said dog owners continued to flout rules.
Woolf, who is now a Greater Wellington Regional councillor, chaired the city council’s Regulatory Processes Committee in the previous triennium. The committee deals with issues, including when people appeal against a dog being deemed menacing.
No dog attack issues came to the council for years, then there was a recent flurry of three including a 60kg rottweiler dog that bit a woman and left her finger “hanging off”. The dog’s owner was in May 2022 unsuccessful in fighting the council which classified the dog called Lomu as menacing.
SPCA chief executive Gabby Clezy said the organisation was getting more calls for help from people struggling to afford pets.
”We know that Covid lockdowns resulted in reduced desexing of pets which has led to overpopulation of companion animals, compounding the problem with the cost of living situation.
”We do our very best to keep animals in their homes where we can – as animals should be in homes, not shelters. So where possible we offer support with things such as food, desexing and medication.”
ACC paid out $108.7m for all animal injuries in 2021 and had paid out $84.7m by the end of September 2022.
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