Northland mum attacked by large dog in children’s playground

J'aime Wright was attacked by a large male bull mastiff at a children’s playground in Kaitāia last Saturday.

A Northland mum who was attacked by a dog in a children’s playground is thankful it wasn’t one of her young children who was mauled.

J’aime Wright, from Kaitāia, is counting her lucky stars that the large male bull mastiff that latched on to her hip last Saturday didn’t attack one of her kids, who were with her.

Wright was at the playground at Matthews Park, on the corner of Matthews Ave and South Rd in Kaitāia, around midday when the incident unfolded.

With her was her 5-year-old son and her 2-year-old daughter was asleep in the pram.

Moments before the dog attack, she’d been talking to her son about where to play on the playground.

“I was standing in the swing area with him about mtwo-and-a-half metres away from the dog ... and he ran off to the area he wanted to play at.

“As I was walking past it, it launched at me and latched on to my hip.

“I’d seen it watching me, so when it first moved, I didn’t know if it was coming to sniff me or bite.

“So I turned when it jumped at me, and it just managed to get my hip.

“It left puncture wounds on my hip but it couldn’t close its jaw around me.”

J’aime Wright received deep puncture wounds on her hip after a mastiff-type dog latched on to her at a children’s playground.

Wright said the couple who owned the dog were nearby; the woman was sitting next to the dog absorbed in her mobile phone, and her male partner was with their child.

“It was scary, I screamed out to the owners,” Wright said.

“He came running over and the dog unlatched then jumped again and got my arm and other leg, then he managed to get it off.”

Wright went to Kaitāia Hospital, where her wounds were cleaned and dressed and she received a tetanus shot and antibiotics. She also has bruising and grazes on her arm and legs.

Wright then reported the attack to Far North District Council [FNDC] animal control.

Dogs are banned from all children’s playgrounds in the Far North under the FNDC’s dog management bylaw. Photo / Mike Dinsdale

Apart from the couple, three or four other adults were around at the time and witnessed the incident, but “no one did anything”, she said.

Wright wants to raise awareness about where people can and can’t take their dogs.

Dogs are banned from all children’s playgrounds in the Far North under the FNDC’s dog management bylaw.

“I want people to be aware why there are signs not to have dogs in the playground,” Wright said.

“If my 2-year-old had been awake I would have been carrying her, and it would have been her leg.

“That would have been a much more serious situation.

“Don’t take your dogs into a situation like that. If you have dogs around kids, pay attention.

“If it’d been a kid, it would have been a whole different story.”

In December, there were two separate dog attacks on Taipā Beach.

On December 4, a woman was attacked by two roaming dogs that latched on to her leg causing puncture wounds and bruising, and on December 18 an 8-year-old girl was attacked by a dog, which was later euthanised by FNDC.

Wright, who grew up with dogs, was also upset that the owners abused their dog following the incident.

“The owners were smacking it with rope and twisting and pulling its ears hard for about five minutes. It was yelping and screaming.

“It was more traumatic for the kids than it biting me.”

FNDC delivery and operations acting group manager Trent Blakeman said an animal management officer was on-site 30 minutes after the attack was reported.

However, the owners and dog were not able to be located.

Blakeman reiterated that dogs were not permitted at children’s playgrounds anywhere in the Far North.

“The animal management team urges owners to keep their dogs under control at all times, to ensure the dog does not pose a threat to the public or other animals.

“Children should be supervised around dogs at all times.”

If the dog owner was identified and an investigation found they had breached the 2018 Dog Management Bylaw, a fine of $300 could be imposed.

Wright encouraged people to report incidents to animal control. Phone 0800 920 029.

Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with roading, lifestyle, business and animal welfare issues.