West Auckland dog mauling: Mother distraught after chihuahua killed by bull terrier

An Auckland mother is distraught and urging other dog owners to stay vigilant after her 6-month-old chihuahua was mauled to death by a bull terrier.

The woman said she and her 8-year-old son were walking to their car in West Auckland yesterday when out of nowhere the dog, who she believed was living at her neighbour’s home, attacked.

“He just got on top of [the chihuahua] and bit him so hard that he punctured his lung and our puppy just started squealing and I was yelling and trying hard to get this other dog off.”

She said she and her son, who both saw the attack, raced their puppy to the vet. Although they did everything possible to save him, he did not survive.

“My poor puppy didn’t even defend himself,” she told the Herald through tears.

The woman, who asked not to be named, said police, animal control and Auckland Council were now involved but she believes they may not find the dog responsible because it was taken away by someone it knew.

“It’s my 8-year-old that’s suffering the most, and I’m a single mum too, but I’m in fear of our safety.”

Police said officers attended the incident at 3.50pm yesterday and the matter has now been referred to council staff.

Auckland Council animal management team leader James Faulkner said the council is actively investigating the incident with the help of police and witnesses.

“Unfortunately reports of dog attacks are not an infrequent occurrence. We would like to remind the community that dog attacks are a preventable problem, and being a responsible dog owner can go a long way to helping us to keep our communities safe.”

Faulkner said those who see a dog behaving aggressively or attacking should retreat to a safe place and contact the council call centre on 09 301 0101 to report the issue immediately.

The woman said her neighbourhood has banded together since the attack but she felt if they had come together sooner the mauling might not have happened.

Her message to other dog owners was that they should get to know their neighbours and keep an eye out for each other, especially during the holiday season.

She said people should also be vigilant of dogs in their area as there are often strays walking around.

“A little chihuahua puppy is nothing more than a toy for them [larger dogs]. It’s just heartbreaking and it’s my son’s [dog].”

The mauling comes a month after a person received critical injuries in a reported dog attack in Mangawhai and a few weeks after two men got into a tussle following a Bay of Plenty dog attack.

Paul Gibbs and his wife, Marlene, told the Bay of Plenty Times they were traumatised after their beloved pet, Molly, was attacked by two dogs on December 4 on their property in Whakamārama, north of Tauranga.

“When I confronted the [other owner] and told him I was going to call the police, he told me he would pay for everything but didn’t want the police to get involved,” Gibbs said.

He said that when the owner of the other dog tried to drive off, he tried to grab the keys in the ignition and during their “tussle”, the driver bit the back of his left hand hard enough to draw blood.