Ruakākā's Lidia Sandoval and Dolly with her first sign aimed at stopping bad dog behaviour on their beach. Photo / Susan Botting
The traumatised owner of a dog attacked on Northland’s Ruakākā Beach says Prime Minister Christopher Luxon needs to do more than make empathetic comments after a woman was killed by dogs.
Ruakākā’s Lidia Sandoval said Luxon needed to take real action to stop dangerous dogs, an issue she said had been going on far too long without consequences for irresponsible owners.
Dog control rules have come under the spotlight after Mihiata Te Rore was killed by a pack of dogs in Kaipara’s Kaihu.
A spokesman for Luxon told Local Democracy Reporting Northland that Te Rore’s death on Tuesday 17 was “nothing short of horrific”.
“The Prime Minister’s thoughts are with the victim, their family, and the wider community,” the spokesman said.
“Roaming dogs are a serious and concerning issue in communities across the country. It’s not something any New Zealander should have to put up with,” he said.
But Sandoval said she wanted more than sympathy.
“When I heard about the fatal Kaihu dog attack on the news, I immediately thought ‘the dog that attacked my dog Dolly could potentially do that, kill someone’, she said.
Dolly was attacked by what Sandoval identified as a pit bull on the northern end of Ruakākā Beach during Waitangi weekend – just 10 days before the fatal mauling in Kaihu.
“The vet I took Dolly to in Waipu after the attack said she’d have been killed if the dog had instead grabbed her neck from below.”
Local Government Minister Simon Watts was expecting advice on options to address dog issues and provide better support for councils, which are responsible for enforcing dog control laws at the frontline, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said.
Northland is home to an estimated 50,000 dogs, compared with about 200,000 people. Some areas have particularly high rates of unregistered dogs.
Whangārei Mayor Ken Couper said the attack on Dolly and the trauma experienced by Sandoval were distressing.
The Whangārei District has almost 20,000 dogs, about 13,000 of which are registered.
“It’s frustrating these things can keep on happening,” Couper said.
“The onus is on the owners to have dogs under control at all times. That [Dolly’s attack] was clearly in breach of our council bylaw.”
On average, 16 attacks on humans and animals are reported to his council monthly.
Sandoval went to Ruakākā Beach with Dolly, her 6-year-old pound rescue dog, adopted just two months earlier, at Waitangi weekend.
Getting out of her car at the Ruakākā Beach carpark, Sandoval said she heard a big dog barking.
“I didn’t trust that bark. It was very loud and growling, aggressive.”
As they walked toward the beach entranceway, the barking grew closer.
A large light grey-and-white pit bull appeared with two men and a woman and was on a lead at that point, she said.
Sandoval and Dolly moved quickly to the beach, trying to put distance between themselves and the pit bull.
About half an hour later, they turned for home.
Sandoval saw the pit bull again – this time playing in the sea with the trio and now off its leash.
She immediately moved away from the water, putting Dolly on her lead, intending to pick her up for safety. But she didn’t have time.
The pit bull launched out of the water and raced towards Dolly, clamping its jaws around her neck, she said.
The trio had been shouting at the dog, but it ignored them. They sprinted from the water after it.
“Dolly was completely defenceless,” Sandoval said.
“I remember her looking up at me with the bigger dog’s mouth on her neck.”
“Sometimes she’d scream, sometimes she couldn’t.”
One of the trio forced his hand into the dog’s mouth, trying desperately to pry its jaws open, she said.
“I was screaming ‘Open his mouth, he’s going to kill Dolly’,” Sandoval said.
The man eventually succeeded, injuring his wrist in the process.
Dolly shook uncontrollably and had puncture wounds in her neck.
She later received stitches. Her collar had helped lessen the damage.
Sandoval said she asked the trio for their contact details but believes they gave her false information.
A couple who had witnessed the attack helped her remember the details because she had no phone with her.
Dolly recovered from her physical injuries, but the terrier-dachshund cross is now fearful of large dogs and Sandoval was hyper‑vigilant on every walk.
She said the issue was not about breed but behaviour, and owners who failed to control their animals.
A few days later, Sandoval made a sign and put it at the Ruakākā Beach entrance: “If you can’t control your dog, GO HOME.”
Someone tore it down so she made a sturdier replacement: “Please if your dog is AGGRESSIVE or REACTIVE either: KEEP IT ON A LEAD, MUZZLE IT OR GO HOME.
“If you witness or experience an attack, take photos, get owners’ ID and call the police (111) or animal control (0800 932 483) immediately.”
She said dog walkers had reacted positively to the replacement sign.
Sandoval reported the attack to Whangārei District Council animal management.
She said the staff were helpful but were unable to trace the attacking dog or its owners because she had been given false contact details.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.