Bella, 17, suffered fatal bite wounds after being attacked by dogs in Maungatapu. Photo / Murray Kenny
Warning: Distressing images and content
A Mount Maunganui man’s “world has been shattered” after three dogs attacked his two elderly fox terriers, killing one and wounding and traumatising the other.
Murray Kenny said he and his dogs Bella, 17, and Ruby, 18, were at Opūrū Rotary Park in Maungatapu about 8am on March 1. He went into the water, accompanied by Bella, for his daily cold swim.
Kenny said he was parked near the recycling bins and barbecue area of the park, and two freedom campers in a ute nearby appeared to be asleep.
Before getting into the water, he checked the area carefully for other dogs and people.
“There was no one else in that part of the park, and it was unusually quiet for that time of day.”
He began swimming with Bella and Ruby watched them from the shore.
“Bella was happy as. She loved the water and enjoyed swimming all the time,” he said, tearfully.
About five minutes later, Kenny said he saw three large “vicious-looking” dogs racing across the park.
“They were running straight towards us. I could sense an attack was imminent, and started screaming for the owners to come and get their dogs.”
Ruby crouched down and started to run back to his van, but in a “split second”, the dogs attacked her.
“She screamed in pain. Bella sprinted as fast as she could to try and save her sister, but the dogs, three times her size, then turned on Bella.”
Kenny said he ran to his dogs and tried to pick them up, but as he bent down, he was bitten on the chin by one of the dogs as Bella and Ruby tried to “fight for their lives”.
“I also got lacerations on my fingers and elbow. I have no doubt the dog was trying to get my throat.”
He said the man from the ute arrived to grab his dogs. He managed to lift Bella and Ruby into his arms and carried them back to his van.
“The other man didn’t say anything, but he was respectful, and appeared remorseful and used his shirt to wipe some of my blood off my phone and glasses before handing them back to me.”
Kenny said the woman with the man was “yelling abuse”, saying she had filmed the attack, and it was his fault because Ruby and Bella were off-lead.
He said he managed to photograph the pair and the three dogs before they left the park.
Kenny said he didn’t initially realise how badly hurt Bella was, and attended to Ruby first as she had multiple bite wounds to her stomach. The vet told him she was lucky to be alive.
But Bella’s injuries were fatal.
“She had severe bite wounds to her hindquarters, and arteries were severed. I thought the vet could stitch her up and she’d be fine. But they couldn’t stop the bleeding, and she bled out.”
Kenny drove to Hamilton to bury Bella and was treated at Waikato Hospital for his own wounds. He contacted the police the next day. Tauranga City Council was also notified.
Kenny wept as he described Bella’s death and the change he had seen in Ruby since the attack.
“Ruby is not the same dog. She doesn’t trust me anymore. Every noise, she freaks out.
“She doesn’t feel safe. She’s traumatised losing Bella — as I am. I’ve been to Victim Support, I can’t sleep, and I haven’t been eating.”
He said the two fox terriers had been with him their whole lives and “they meant the world to me”.
”This has been a very painful experience. I’m speaking out because I don’t want anyone else to have to suffer the same shattering experience.
“My world has been shattered.”
Tauranga police area response manager Sergeant Oli Owen said the council’s animal control was in charge of the investigation.
Tauranga City Council animal services team leader Oscar Glossop said said the three dogs believed to be involved in the attack had been seized, and the council’s investigation was ongoing.
Glossop said he was unable to reveal the breeds of the dogs or other information that could identify “individuals, their dogs or their personal circumstances”, in line with the council’s privacy obligations.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 25 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.