A rampaging pitbull launched itself from a moving vehicle and stormed into an Auckland jewellery store while attempting to savage a lap dog, injuring an employee during the ordeal.
The worker has claimed the pitbull’s owner is yet to face any significant consequences, despite the attack causing a career-ending injury.
Auckland Council confirmed the owner was given an infringement notice and education on dog control.
Stacey Penn told the Herald her career and shoulder were in tatters after the unprovoked dog attack at the Michael Hill Jewellers in Pukekohe last August.
“I grabbed it by the scruff of the neck ... and pulled it back, and because it was attacking the little dog, pulled it back, and then it lunged again and took the tendons from my shoulder,” she said.
Penn had her rotator cuff torn during the incident, which is a group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint, enabling a wide range of arm movements.
She said she was off work for eight months due to the severity of her injury.
She claimed her employer required her to be able to lift, and when that wasn’t possible, she was unable to continue in her role.
Penn worked at Michael Hill for nearly 20 years and was recognised as one of New Zealand’s top sellers.
“They [Michael Hill] even gave an award to me for resilience because I had a bit of an accident a couple of years ago and continued to work.
“I loved the job, had a really good client base, thoroughly enjoyed it ... It was the world to me,” Penn said.
Michael Hill has been approached for comment.
On the day of the attack, a good client of Penn’s came into the Pukekohe branch with her small lap-sized Cavoodle, which was not abnormal because dogs were allowed in the store if they were leashed.
“I hopped over to the customer side and was giving the dog a big love. A lady came around the roundabout, which is perpendicular to the shop.
“Her dog must have seen this little dog walking in, and it jumped out of the moving vehicle,” Penn said.
The dog was an “extremely muscular pitbull” that bolted in and stood over the little dog.
“The dog kind of flopped on its side. And I was like, ‘here we go.’”
The owner of the Cavoodle told the Herald she had just had surgery, so she was in a sling at the time of the attack.
“I kind of moved to the side and then realised that, oh no, it’s actually going for my little dog,” the owner said.
Penn said she grabbed the pitbull by the scruff of the neck and pulled it back from the Cavoodle, but that is when it suddenly lunged at her shoulder.
“It wasn’t giving up. I didn’t feel anything at the time ... adrenaline.
“I’m on CCTV pretty much trying to wrestle with a pitbull, saving this dog and the owner because the pitbull had kind of got them into a corner.
“I’m admittedly kicking the dog and throwing a few punches, and then I managed to pick up the Poodley dog.”
Penn called for one of her workmates who was out the back and gave them the Cavoodle to take to safety.
“I yelled out, ‘usher the owner of the dog out the back’ and then managed to subdue the pitbull,” Penn said.
The owner said her Cavoodle did not suffer serious injuries and was only nipped at during the attack.
Auckland Council team leader for animal management in the south, James Faulkner, said they issued the owner an infringement for failing to keep their dog under control and provided education on how to prevent it from happening in the future.
“The dog was classified as menacing by deed and required to be neutered and to wear a muzzle when in public.
“No injuries to people were reported to Animal Management as a result of the incident,” Faulkner said.
The council has recently cracked down on dog owners in a bid to lower a surge in attacks.
In the 2024-25 financial year alone, nearly 3000 dog attacks and more than 15,000 cases of roaming dogs were reported in the region.
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