All dogs are required to be walked on a lead during the Covid-19 lockdown. Photo / Ian Cooper
All dogs are required to be walked on a lead during the Covid-19 lockdown. Photo / Ian Cooper
A man attacked by an off-lead dog while cycling in his neighbourhood in Napier says it shows just how important it is for owners to follow lockdown rules.
Hawke's Bay's five councils put out a notice on Friday reminding residents there is now nowhere in the region where it isokay to walk dogs off-leash, because of the risk of them breaking 2m social distancing rules.
Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise has been reiterating this rule during many of her daily video updates on Facebook, but many in public spaces over the weekend appeared unaware or unwilling to follow it.
Hawke's Bay Today photographer Ian Cooper said there were a lot of dogs off-lead at Park Island this morning.
"It was more than I expected to see, given the changing of the rules," he said.
The issue is one that Brett Hucker wants to be in the public eye, because of an awful experience he had on Tuesday.
Hucker was getting fresh air and exercise by cycling with his wife, Alison, when he was knocked off his bike and attacked by a dog in Tamatea's Westminster Ave.
On the bike path near the intersection of Leicester Ave, they noticed a couple of children walking some dogs.
"We passed some children on the path, around 10-12 years old, but didn't really take much notice but when we biked on, both dogs started chasing," he said.
Hucker said he didn't get a good look at the dogs to see what they were but said they were two brown medium-sized dogs.
"They chased us for a good 30-40 metres. My wife is afraid of dogs so luckily she wasn't the one that they caught.
"But next thing I knew one of the dogs got a good chunk and bit the calf muscle in my leg."
He said the events happened so fast he could only remember being able to get a "good kick on the dog's snout" to get it to go away.
They were cycling through their local area of Tamatea down the Westminster Ave bike path near the intersection of Leicester Ave when the dogs attacked. Photo / Warren Buckland
"Luckily it was the one dog and the other just barked but I managed to scare them away and they ran back to their owners who were 50 metres away by then."
They managed to get to the doctor on the way home to get it looked at.
Hucker said that both dogs were unmuzzled and not on leashes, making the situation much worse.
"It just has me thinking if this was an elderly person or someone else not able to get the dog off them, it could have been much worse," he said.
"With the situation now, not many people are out and about at any one time and if it was someone alone having to face the dog with no one around, it could end terribly."
Hucker says he is going to be laid up on the couch for a good week, unable to stay active during the lockdown.
"I'm in my 60s and try to get out to keep fit and managed to do it safely so far during the lockdown but this is just going to make it that bit more annoying now, having to be constantly stuck at home."
An Eastern District Police spokesperson said the alert level 4 restrictions meant dog owners had additional responsibilities.
"We would suggest keeping your dog on a leash when you are taking them for a walk in your neighbourhood, to limit the chance of you needing to come into contact with other people in order to retrieve them."
