Tanya Hawthorne and her horse Cassie were chased along the beach for 1.5km during a dog attack near the old dump off Centennial Marine Drive – an incident she described as "horrendous". Photo / Supplied
Tanya Hawthorne and her horse Cassie were chased along the beach for 1.5km during a dog attack near the old dump off Centennial Marine Drive – an incident she described as "horrendous". Photo / Supplied
A woman involved in a “horrendous” dog attack on horses being ridden along a Gisborne beach last weekend says she has never been so scared in her life.
Tanya Hawthorne also believes that had it been children on ponies, not adults on horses, it could have been much worse, perhapseven fatal.
Hawthorne and her friend were riding their horses on the beach near the old Paokahu landfill along Centennial Marine Drive on Sunday when the attack occurred.
A grey dog, which Hawthorne said was like a mastiff or a pitbull cross and was in the ocean with its owner, “launched” itself at the horses.
“It was horrendous,” she told the Gisborne Herald. “It just launched and towed its owner like a surfboard and she lost it and it just came flying at us.
“I couldn’t stop to see if she [her friend] was okay because the dog was trying to eat the horses ... I just galloped away.
The view from the saddle on Tanya Hawthorne's horse Cassie on a good day at the beach. Last weekend, they were involved in a "terrifying" dog attack on them and another horse and rider.
“This dog, I couldn’t believe it, it was tailing us and it was gaining on us for like 1.5 km. It didn’t give up.”
Hawthorne, 51, said she shouted out for help from a man fishing on the beach.
“I screamed out to a fisherman as I went past ... I said, ‘Can you please try to stop this dog because it’s trying to get us?’ ... and he managed to scare it enough for it to turn back.
“I’ve ridden on that beach my whole life ... I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve never been so scared. It was horrible, like really horrible.”
Hawthorne said they notified the district council of the attack but “unfortunately we hit a dead end ...we haven’t found the dog, but they know about it. It’s on record”.
“It was a definitely a mastiff crossed with something like that [a pitbull]. It wasn’t a full mastiff because it was smaller and stockier, almost bulldog stocky with the mastiff colour and sort of look, but it had the stamina to just keep going up the beach. I couldn’t believe it.”
Hawthorne’s friend was not injured.
“I was so worried because she hit the ground really hard, but she was okay.”
Hawthorne was concerned such dogs were out there and said if it had been children riding ponies, it could have been much worse.
“Someone would have died, or a horse would have died because it was really bad. I’m just so angry that someone would even own a dog like that.”
Hawthorne made a plea for anyone who had seen the incident or taken pictures of the dog while on the beach to get in touch with the council.
Council animal control leader Ross Hannam said it investigated the incident and spoke to a nearby resident, but had not located the dog or owner.
“We ask all dog owners to please keep your dog close and under control when you’re out and about – especially on our beaches, including off-leash areas and shared trails.”
Any dog could potentially be a risk, he said.
“Even the best-behaved dogs can get excited. A moment’s lapse can cause serious harm or distress to people, other animals and wildlife.
