A woman who was savaged by a pack of pig dogs fears for public safety while the owner and his dogs are free to wander the streets.
The retiree, who wants to be known only by her first name Donna, said she remains traumatised a year on from the
Tairua Dog Attack: Couple claims owner’s dogs are a danger to public safety and should be put down
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A woman savaged by pig dogs similar to this one told the Herald two of the pack and their owner remain free. Photo composite / Ben Dickens and NZME
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“They wore tracking collars - maybe they thought they were on a hunt. They tried to rip my scalp off my head and tore big gashes out of the backs of my legs, my neck and under my arms.
“I thought I was going to die. I had no blood left in me it was pumping out everywhere. I am lucky to be alive,” Donna told the Herald.
The dogs’ owner, Dave Anscombe, told the Herald in August 2024 that his two male dogs were at the Thames-Coromandel District Council pound and two female dogs had been returned to him on the day of the attack.
“I have to tell you I find this too emotional and hard to talk about. I couldn’t afford to have the dogs registered, I am poor, I have no money” Anscombe said.
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Earlier this month, he appeared in the Thames Coromandel District Court (TCDC) facing three charges over the incident: two related to a dog attacking another dog and one related to a dog attacking a person.
A spokesperson for the Thames Coromandel District Council said in a statement: “The defendant was convicted on all charges and the court ordered both dogs be destroyed. The defendant has indicated he will appeal the conviction and the destruction order.
“The defendant represented himself at trial. The dogs were unregistered at the time of the attack.”
Donna’s husband, Trev, believes the Tairua attack was wholly preventable.
“The dogs should have been put down a year ago. The council should have acted sooner instead of relying on the police investigation. They were unregistered at the time of the attack – this whole thing could have been prevented.
“It’s it is a dereliction of duty on behalf of the rate payers. That guy should not be allowed to own any dogs - he is a danger to the public” Trev said.
When the Herald asked the council if they had received any complaints against Anscombe and his dogs, a spokesperson said there was a complaint in September about the dogs being off lead but it couldn’t be substantiated.
According to the locals Anscombe left Tairua three months ago but was seen on Thursday in his van with barking dogs. Despite multiple attempts Anscombe could not be reached for comment.
The council said in five years there have been 13 dog attacks in Tairua. Only one resulted in injuries that could be considered serious, and there have been no deaths.
Anscombe’s dogs meanwhile remain impounded.
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“Our Council has no authority to euthanise them without an order from the Court. We do not have the exact cost of keeping the two dogs in the pound. Given the indication of the appeal, we will await further Court processes before taking any other action” they said.
Carolyne Meng-Yee is an Auckland-based investigative journalist who won Best Documentary at the Voyager Media Awards in 2022. Recently she was runner-up for Best Editorial Campaign and part of a team that won Best Coverage of a Major News Event: Philip Polkinghorne Murder Trial. She worked for the Herald on Sunday the rejoined the Herald in 2016 after working as an award-winning current affairs producer at TVNZ’s 60 Minutes, 20/20 and Sunday.