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A black or black and tan rottweiler accompanied by a brindle bull terrier are believed to have killed most of the three cats, one dog and four chickens in Bethlehem since Christmas. Other animals have also been wounded.
One man watched his dog being mauled by the rottweiler
last month, while another resident saw a dog matching the same description digging its teeth into the back legs of her cat on Monday morning this week.
Both are scared children will be next.
A hunt is under way in the area and traps have been set in an effort to catch the dogs.
Tauranga City Council animal control said when dogs get in groups they get "more and more worked up and chase anything that moves".
A sheep, cat and rabbit were found dead on or near Bethlehem School in September last year, but it is unknown if these attacks are related.
Ashley Mikaere had his pets ravaged by dogs in late January - a month after the most recent attacks began.
The Carmichael Rd resident found a black rottweiler ripping into his dog in the early hours of the morning. The dog's stomach was ripped open and his back broken. It died soon after being taken to the vet.
Mr Mikaere knows of at least three other people, two of whom live on Carmichael Rd, close to Bethlehem School, whose pets have been killed by a dog fitting the same description.
Mr Mikaere said he feared for children in the area and didn't want others to go through the heartache of watching a much-loved pet die.
The most recent attack saw a ginger cat's stomach ripped open early Monday morning. Although the cat survived, it was in pain and discomfort.
The 41-year-old woman, who did not want to be named for fear of retribution by the dog's owner, said the ordeal had scared her, especially because the dog returned later that day.
No dogs were seen when the chickens were attacked but evidence suggested it was a canine. The chicken flap where the dog entered was big enough for a bull terrier to squeeze through.
Another 38-year-old woman, who lives near the Bethlehem School and also spoke on condition of anonymity, was on holiday with her four children and husband when her cat was brutally killed in mid-January.
A neighbour saw two dogs - again matching the same descriptions - go onto the property. The cat was found with bite marks the next day.
Tauranga City Council animal services manager John Payne said council was doing all they could to catch the dogs. Two traps have been set in Bethlehem, a dog patrol was checking the streets once a day. * Have you been a victim of these dogs? Email: news@bopp.co.nz.
* If you see the dogs or know where they might be phone Tauranga City Council 577 7000.
- HAWKES BAY TODAY
