Tauranga dog attack: Owner ‘distraught’ after dog fatally bitten by another dog

Lucy's dog, Wicket, died after being bitten by another dog while they were out walking.

A dog owner is “distraught” after her chihuahua died in her arms after it was mauled by another dog in an “aggressive” and “unprovoked” attack.

Tauranga resident Lucy, who did not want her surname published, said she was walking her two dogs, Wicket and Pablo, in Maungatapu on May 7.

Lucy said she saw a dog “leaping” over its garden fence before it “squeezed poor Wicket’s internal organs” with one bite.

“I was a wreck and shaking,” Lucy said.

“[Wicket], unfortunately, died in my arms before we got to the vet.”

Lucy reported the incident to Tauranga City Council and was “extremely upset”.

“These complaints should be taken seriously before tragic circumstances happen, not after.

“Nothing will bring my dog, Wicket, back but I would hate for this to happen to someone else.”

Lucy's dog, Wicket, died after being bitten by another dog while they were out walking.

Lucy’s story comes after a Tauranga woman and her dog no longer go for walks after they were left traumatised after being attacked twice in eight months by other dogs.

And another Tauranga woman spent “thousands” of dollars on vet bills after her dog was “savaged” in a dog attack last month.

Lucy said she had owned 6-year-old Wicket and his brother Pablo since they were 10-week-old puppies.

Of the attack, Lucy said she remembered lifting her dogs off the ground and turning her back to the attacking dog. However, it “launched” and caught Wicket.

Lucy went “down to the ground” to protect her pets.

“I remember screaming and cradling Pablo with my body over him whilst trying to get the attacking dog off Wicket with my free arm.”

Lucy said the attacking dog let go of Wicket when its owner came arrived. The owner locked the dog “securely away back in the property” and asked if her dog was okay.

Lucy said a stranger had heard her screaming and drove her to the emergency vet. However, Wicket died before they arrived. Pablo was unharmed.

“The vet said the dog would have squeezed poor Wicket’s internal organs in that bite and been enough to rupture a spleen ... he didn’t stand a chance being such a little guy against a bigger stronger dog.”

She said the “aggressive” attack was “completely unprovoked”.

“He is missed so much and it’s just heartbreaking. My husband and I are distraught and both had to have most of the week off work.”

Lucy's dogs, Pablo (left) and Wicket, which she has had since they were 10-week-old puppies.

Lucy believed the issue lay with “bad owners” - not bad dogs.

In her view, complaints to the council about the attacking dog should have allowed the council to prosecute or fine the owner, or order them to take the dog to a behaviour specialist.

“This attack needs to be followed up to ensure the same dog isn’t able to do this again.”

Roma Dog Behaviour Academy owner Misha Gildenberger said Wicket’s owners were her clients and she was “heartbroken” about Wicket’s death.

Gildenberger said, in her view, it was the owner’s responsibility to know their dog’s capabilities, as dogs could be “potential killers” of cats, wildlife and other dogs.

Dogs were “unpredictable”, so prevention and management were key.

This included keeping dogs on their leads, not letting them run up to other dogs, having fully fenced properties, muzzle training, keeping them indoors when unsupervised, discouraging chasing prey and taking dog training lessons, she said.

Gildenberger denied that certain dog breeds were more likely to attack dogs or that the size of a dog was a factor.

Gildenberger suggested the council and the dog training industry work together to create affordable or free but mandatory training programmes.

“We need to provide more support and tools so dog owners can prevent dog attacks from happening, and not have to get involved when it’s too late.”

Tauranga City Council animal services team leader Brent Lincoln said the council was waiting on the results of DNA comparison tests in relation to the attack on Wicket. It could not comment further about the suspect dog or owner.

However, speaking generally, he said the majority of attacks it investigated were because dog owners made “poor decisions” about their dog’s behaviour, or they or a family member failed to secure the property.

When it received complaints, council staff interviewed the owner of the attacked dog and any witnesses to establish what happened to identify the dog owner and dog responsible for the attack, he said.

After identifying a person or dog responsible, it then interviewed the dog’s owner or anyone else relevant if the owner was not present.

“In some cases, where there is a dispute about the identity of the attacking dog, we will take saliva swabs from the injuries on the victim and the suspect dog and send these away for DNA comparison.

“DNA has been very useful in confirming suspect dogs and clearing other dogs suspected of attacks.”

Lincoln said it needed to gather evidence to the same standard as the police before taking any action. Once the investigation was complete, it considered the veracity of the witnesses, the strength of evidence, the seriousness of the attack, and the history of the dog and its owner.

From then, its options were to do nothing if it could not satisfactorily prove an offence, issue a warning, issue a fine, classify the dog as “menacing or dangerous”, with or without a fine, impound the dog or prosecute.