A week after Hero the horse was mauled on Pāpāmoa Beach, his family says the kindness of strangers has been the brightest part of a frightening ordeal.
The attack by two off-leash dogs last Wednesday left the Nelson family’s much-loved horse seriously injured.
Tai Nelson had been riding Hero along the beach when the dogs chased him and his horse into the water.
Hero fell down in the water and the dogs continued attacking for about 10 minutes before bystanders intervened.
Tai’s wife, Aimee Nelson, said he was “lucky to be alive”.
Tai was uninjured, but 14-year-old Hero was not so lucky.
One week on from the attack, Aimee Nelson said Hero’s wounds were healing as expected, but he still faced a long road back to full health.
She said the drains for his wounds were expected to remain for several weeks, and the full extent of any long-term damage was still unclear.
For now, the family was just relieved to see steady improvement and the return of some of his “cheeky” personality.
She said the family had not ridden at Pāpāmoa Beach since the attack, and had received messages from people also scared to return.
The incident happened between Harrison’s Cut and the Memorial Carpark.
Nelson said Tai hoped to ride again once things settled.
Both dogs were seized at the scene by Tauranga City Council’s animal services team, but Nelson said the family was still waiting for an update on the investigation.
She felt the dogs should be euthanised to prevent further harm.
“We hope the owners do the right thing."
The family had been overwhelmed by support, with messages, donations and supplies from strangers helping to carry them through an exhausting week.
“We can’t even put into words how grateful we are.”
She said she originally posted on social media about the attack to make people aware of the dogs and “how bad it can be”.
“I didn’t expect that many people to be that invested in it. But it’s been amazing.”
Nelson said their Givealittle page, already nearing $5000, had covered Hero’s initial vet bills, which reached almost $3000 in the first week.
“We couldn’t have paid that without it … so that has made everything possible for his recovery.”
To thank the community, the family planned to host a free sausage sizzle and children’s horse rides on Saturday, giving Pāpāmoa locals the chance to meet Hero.
“It’s just a way for us to meet the people that helped us and showed so much love and compassion to complete strangers.”
She requested that the address of the event not be shared in this story, in the hopes of keeping it local and avoiding a turnout they could not cater for.
A statement provided by Tauranga City Council said there were no further updates while the investigation continued.
It thanked those who provided information to the council’s animal services team.
The statement reminded dog owners to keep their dogs under control, as the Dog Control Act 1996 required proper supervision and held owners responsible for their dogs’ actions.
Zoe Blake is a multimedia journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post.