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The toddler was attacked by the family dog, which has since been euthanised. (File photo)
The critically injured victim of a dog attack in Mangawhai is a 2-year-old toddler.
They were flown to Middlemore Hospital following the attack in Mangawhai – a coastal town in Northland near the Auckland border – about 1pm on Friday.
The toddler remained in hospital on Saturday, a police spokesperson confirmed.
The dog, which belonged to the toddler’s family, was “immediately handed over” to the Kaipara District Council’s animal management team after the attack, spokesperson Hayley Worthington said on Friday.
It has since been destroyed, police confirmed.
A scene examination has been completed at the Tara Rd property.
“The incident is not being treated as suspicious,” police said.
Asked on Friday what breed the dog was, Worthington said: “we are unable to provide any further details or comment while an investigation is underway”.
LAWRENCE SMITH/Stuff
Staff from the Silverdale Animal Shelter show a group of preschoolers how to safely interact with dogs. (Video first published August 2022)
The attack was the second in the Northland region in recent weeks.
On October 12, Elizabeth Effie Whittaker, 78, died after she was attacked by a dog as she hung out the washing at her property in Moerewa. Two others were injured.
The dog was owned by someone visiting the property. It was shot dead by a neighbour before the police arrived.
Whittaker, a respected kuia of the Ōtīria Marae, was remembered by whānau for her motherly and kind nature.
