Old dog attacked in his own backyard

The mauling of a 15-year-old dog in Masterton has left its owner feeling "wrenched".

Simon Christie, who lives on Colombo Rd in Masterton, has been left to foot a $1200 vet bill after his huntaway Labrador cross named Blue was attacked in its own yard.

"I had just got home and I was having some lunch and Blue was sitting outside on the porch sunbathing.

"Then I heard him barking so I ran outside the house to see what the story was."

He said dogs had jumped the fence and one had grabbed Blue by the eyeball.

"You get this massive strength when you're trying to save a friend don't you, so I picked up the pitbull and threw it back over the fence."

Mr Christie took Blue straight to Vetcare in Masterton where a nurse and doctor took him out the back and washed his eyes out.

"They suggested he needed some surgery and to keep him in there.

"After 15 years of him being my mate, I was wrenched."

Dr Heidi Ward-McGrath, Veterinary Director of Vetcare, said Blue's situation was "particularly nasty", because it was a case of an elderly dog in his own yard being "set upon by two pitbulls and a puppy".

"They've latched on around the eye socket and eye and have literally ripped off a lot of the tissue surrounding the eye and around his head," she said.

"Just the power of the jaws have made quite a mess."

Blue required a general anaesthetic and plastic surgery to put the linings of his eyelid back together and the eye socket back in place.

Mr Christie disclosed to Vetcare that he had recently became unemployed and was now on the benefit.

Dr McGrath has made a call for donations to help Blue's recovery on Vetcare's Facebook page.

- Wairarapa Times-Age