Dog attack: Woman kept dogs, though disqualified and failed to stop attack on child

A woman cared for two pit bull dogs despite losing her license. The dogs attacked her daughter. Photo / Getty Images

A Dunedin woman disqualified from dog ownership failed to stop her 9-year-old daughter being attacked by two American pit bulls in an event a judge described as “defying logic”.

On February 17, 2022, Kama Lee Hurring, 31, was banned from owning or possessing a dog for a year, due to incurring three infringement notices under the Dog Control Act.

About a month before her disqualification expired, Hurring was dog-sitting two unregistered pit bulls named Blaze and Zativah, when her children returned home from a park, the Dunedin District Court heard yesterday.

At 4.15pm on January 2, Hurring’s 9-year-old daughter entered the laundry room, unaware that there were two animals inside.

As the child opened the door, both dogs ran at her.

Unable to close the door, Hurring’s daughter was attacked by both animals, receiving multiple bite wounds all over her body.

The child had lacerations to her right eye and cheek and suffered multiple puncture wounds to her back, arm, shoulder and torso.

The victim’s 11-year-old brother ran outside seeking help from the defendant and her flatmate, who administered basic first aid before taking the child to hospital.

Hurring was co-operative with Dunedin City Council Animal Services and stated she was unaware of the finer details of her disqualification, due to her notice being destroyed in a house fire.

“I can’t imagine what it must have been like for your daughter to have been attacked by two dogs in this way”, Judge Dominic Flatley said.

“I don’t understand why people have these types of dogs that can do this sort of damage to people ... It defies logic.”

Hurring was convicted and discharged as Flatley was reluctant to impose fines due to the defendant’s beneficiary status.

“There is no point in fining you, it will be taking money away from you and your children.”

Both dogs were assigned to the DCC after the attack and have been euthanised.