A Hastings woman who felt the teeth of a roaming Rottweiler sink into her thought she was going to die when she saw a second dog approaching.
Warning: This story contains graphic images.
By Linda Hall, Local Democracy Reporter
Sophie Greer was walking her family dog, 10-month-old cavoodle Lottie, on a reserve opposite the Pākōwhai Regional Park on Friday, July 24, about 9.40am when an unrestrained dog with no owner in sight approached them.
Lottie was on the lead, and Greer said she turned and let her sniff the dog.
Greer, a nurse, said the dog immediately began trying to “dominate” Lottie, so she went to pick her up.
“The dog started jumping up at me, attempting to get to Lottie.”
Greer felt her hand get bitten.
“I was screaming for help and yelling, ‘Your dog’s biting me’.”
The dog reared onto its hind legs on her right side, so she turned her back to it. It then moved to her left and grabbed the back of her arm.
“I felt those teeth sink into my upper arm, and I was like, oh my God, it’s just broken my arm.
“At the next jump it got Lottie’s tail and yanked her. I went down too because I knew, if I let her go, she’d be mauled. She’s only like 7 or 8kg max.”
Greer, still holding Lottie, managed to get to her knees.
“Then the dog grabbed Lottie’s back leg, and that’s when he just tore her.”
She said she spotted a man coming towards her at the same time as she saw another unrestrained Rottweiler approaching.
“He was on his way, but he was only walking.
“Then I was like, oh my God, he’s got another Rottweiler with him. I’m going to die here.
“I’m getting mauled, and if this other dog joins in, and there’s no one else around and this owner does not look like he cares.”
As the owner got closer, he started yelling at the dog to “get off”, but he didn’t get physically involved, she said.
The owner apologised to her as she got to her feet.
“I told him I needed help, but he just walked away over the hill and disappeared.”
She was left alone with bites to her hand and the back of her arm, holding Lottie, who had a tear from her groin to halfway along her stomach and puncture wounds to her leg.
She called her husband, telling him to pick up Lottie and take her to a vet.
“I didn’t really know what to do about myself, but my husband told me to call an ambulance so I could describe where I was.”
Her left upper arm had a deep wound that needed stitches, but she said the injury to her hand, although more superficial, was the most painful. She was also covered in bruises.
Lottie had 17 stitches to a T-bone-shaped wound. The treatment cost about $2000, with a further $400 in ongoing costs expected.
Considering her injuries, Lottie was doing well, Greer said.
If she could talk to the Rottweiler owner, she would ask him to “do the right thing” and hand his dog to the authorities.
“You know your dog is dangerous.
“It’s just a matter of time until this happens again.
“It’s frightening to think this could happen to a child or an elderly person. I’m a 38-year-old woman who could fight.”
She did not think she could face going back to the reserve or the Pākōwhai Regional Park again.
She reported the incident to Hastings District Council and police.
The council said Animal Control contacted Greer on the day of the attack to check on her welfare and took a victim statement from her three days later.
“Animal Control ranged the area and looked for any businesses with CCTV cameras covering the road.
“Police were contacted to advise them of the Animal Control investigation, which is continuing.”
Council regulatory solutions manager John Payne said the Animal Control team responded to reports across the district, but officers could not patrol every street around the clock.
“We understand people can become frustrated when they see a roaming dog, but Animal Control can’t be everywhere 24 hours a day.
“We rely on the community to report incidents promptly and provide good information so our officers have the best chance of locating the dog.”
The end of winter and early spring were common times for dogs to roam, particularly around lambing time, and owners needed to be vigilant, he said.
Even dogs that were usually well-behaved could become a danger if allowed to roam.
“A dog that’s allowed to run free is going to behave in line with its instincts – to hunt and chase. That’s why it’s so important to keep dogs properly restrained.”
The Rottweiler owner had not been found at the time of publication.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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