The Ashburton District Council now plans to investigate the rising number of attacks to determine if the increase is a one-off or part of a long-term trend.
A report on the number of dog complaints, presented at last week’s district council meeting, shows 44 were for attacks over the year to June 31.
This compares to 27 the previous year, and then 28, 27 and 32 for the three years prior.
No prosecution action had been pursued in the last 12 months.
However, one dog was euthanised when the owner surrendered it following an attack, and four dogs were voluntarily euthanised by their owners.
District council group manager compliance and development Ian Hyde clarified 39 of the 44 complaints were about a dog biting or grabbing onto a person or animal - 20 on people, 13 on dogs, and five on another animal such as a sheep or chicken.
The remaining complaints were not as serious and included cases of dogs ‘‘rushing’’ at a person or dog.
Hyde said one possibility for the rise was a greater awareness around contacting the district council when something happened.
"We'll be looking at the number of complaints we receive over the coming months to help identify whether this is a one-off or a longer-term trend," Hyde said.
"Given that we live in a district with high rates of dog ownership, the number of dog attacks we see each year is relatively low.
"However, any attack is concerning and something we take seriously," Hyde said.
Meanwhile, the report also showed the number of dogs being rehomed by the district council was significantly higher over the last year than in previous years.
The council rehomes dogs from its pound on Range St when the owner cannot be found and the dog is assessed as suitable for rehoming.
Last year it rehomed 19. Data from previous district council agendas shows this compared to 13 the previous year, then 11 and 12 for the two years prior.
The report also showed there were 110 dogs impounded and two euthanised during the year. This compares to 101 impounded and eight euthanised the year prior.
Of the two euthanised, one was the dog the owner surrendered following an attack, the other was a dog found wandering and unsuitable for rehoming.
