Pukehina basset hound Erle mauled by dog on the beach - owners of attacking dog surrender it

A dog that attacked a “gentle, loving” basset hound while out on a walk has been voluntarily surrendered to the council by its owners and will be put down.

The almost $1900 vet tab has also been picked up by the owners of the attacking dog.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council says the outcome of the dog-on-dog attack is an example of “how these painful incidents can be resolved peacefully”.

Leonie Trubshoe took her 10-year-old dog Erle for a walk along Rogers Road beach about 3pm on Sunday.

She described Erle as the “most gentle, loving dog”, but that day decided to keep him on his leash as it was busy with other beachgoers.

During the walk, she heard an off-road vehicle driving toward them along the sand so bent down to comfort him.

But all of a sudden, a large black dog “leapt off the back” of the vehicle and charged at the pair.

“He knocked me flying off my feet and then just went straight for Erle’s throat.”

Trubshoe, lying on the ground, was “completely hysterical” and started trying to kick the attacking dog.

Leonie Trubshoe and her 10-year-old Basset Hound Erle. Photo / Andrew Warner

A man who was fishing nearby came “running over” to help along with the dog owners, she said.

The fisherman then “jammed a piece of driftwood between the dog’s teeth to break the lock on Erle’s neck”.

“I have never screamed in my life and I didn’t think I could - but by God, I did on Sunday. I was completely hysterical.”

She said Erle was “bleeding everywhere” with a tear along his throat right up to his ear.

The fisherman rushed Trubshoe and Erle home in his car, and from there they drove straight to an after-hours vet in Tauranga.

A nurse told her to bring him in straight away as there was “a risk of his oesophagus swelling which could stop him breathing”.

In the car, Erle was “panting furiously”, then his breathing started to become “more and more strained”, she said.

“That’s what was terrifying me. That’s exactly what the nurse on the phone had warned me.”

She praised how the owners responded to the incident by surrendering the dog to the Western Bay of Plenty District Council and paying the vet bills.

The bill for surgery on Sunday was $1889, which was roughly equivalent to a whole month’s pension, she said.

“The owners of the dog are doing the right thing. I am very grateful to them because I have only got a pension.”

“They have had to give up their dog knowing he is going to be put down - and that’s hard.”

Erle suffered injuries to his ear and throat. Photo / Andrew Warner

Trubshoe said she feared the “traumatic” attack would change Erle’s personality, saying he had always been friendly to other dogs and well-socialised.

“I don’t want him to be afraid of other dogs, because he has never been before.”

At a check-up on Tuesday, she said he was “too scared to get out of the car”, so the vet attended to him from the backseat.

“That’s not like him at all.”

The 69-year-old said Erle was “a little champion” and popular among the Rogers Road community.

“He’s very friendly and everybody knows him.

“It’s like having one of your children injured.”

Trubshoe, who was supposed to be moving overseas in two weeks with Erle, said she did not plan on returning to the beach before leaving the country.

“We need to be in a new environment before stepping out - we certainly wouldn’t go to the beach again. It has frightened us.”

She said her “number-one priority” now was ensuring Erle was well enough to travel next month.

Her message to other dog owners was to always keep an eye on their pets and socialise them from “day one”.

Even the smallest of dogs could “lash out” if they were nervous or afraid, she said.

“Know your animal and double-check.”

Western Bay of Plenty District Council compliance and monitoring manager Dougal Elvin said the attacking dog’s owner was the first to get in touch to report the incident and “voluntarily surrendered ownership” of the animal.

The council would now be humanely euthanising the dog as a matter of safety of the community, he said.

“While it’s a very upsetting story, it demonstrates how these painful incidents can be resolved peacefully,” he said.

“This kind of situation is sad for everyone involved, and highlights how important it is to keep your dogs under control at all times.”

The council’s animal services team would stay in touch with both dog owners and take further action if necessary. But he hoped it could be “sorted out peacefully” by those involved.

“The dog owners have chosen to communicate directly with each other for an amicable outcome.”

The Bay of Plenty Times has requested council data on dog attacks in the district.

Tauranga City Council animal services leader Brent Lincoln said in the year to January 31, 50 people reported being attacked by a dog in the city, and there were 113 reports of domestic animals — mostly other dogs — being attacked.