Dogs to be destroyed after mauling jogger

It is still unclear why the dogs stopped their attack on a Waikato jogger. Photo / Rotorua Daily Post

A man whose neighbour was savaged by a pack of dogs says he does not know why the animals gave up their attack, but he is grateful they stopped when they did.

Margit Christensen, 36, was jogging on a rural road in Puketurua, west of Putaruru in the Waikato, when the pig dogs went for her yesterday afternoon.

She suffered serious wounds to her head, arms and legs and was flown to Waikato Hospital where she underwent surgery.

She had lacerations to her scalp, arms and legs but was last night in a stable condition.

Sergeant Jason Shailer of Putaruru police said Mrs Christensen suffered serious injuries "pretty much all over her body".

The dogs have since been seized and their owner has signed an order for their destruction.

Mr Shailer said a decision on whether the owner would be charged would be made today. He said it was still unclear why the dogs stopped attacking Mrs Christensen.

Mrs Christensen's neighbour told the Herald a woman who had been cycling alongside her came to his door seeking help. He went to the scene and found Mrs Christensen sitting on the roadside.

"I can't describe to you what she looked like. She talked to me - she responded to my questions - but she needed help," said the man, who declined to be named.

"The dogs were long gone when we arrived. I don't know why, but it was lucky they went off like that."

Another neighbour said she was about to have lunch when she heard her dog - which was tied up - barking "madly".

"I didn't think anything of it. It was only until a few minutes later I saw a police car go past and an ambulance parked down the road ... [My dog] must have been barking at the dogs."

The Christensen family have a farm on nearby Arapuni St and a neighbour said they were well known as hard workers.

"She is an absolutely lovely lady. They're absolutely lovely people who just get stuck in and help us whenever we need it," he said.

"They are genuinely friendly and well respected on our street. That is terrible."

- ADDITIONAL REPORTING: NZPA