Whangārei family's dog attacked on Ōtangarei property

Bruce is survived by his sister Poppy (front). Photo / Supplied

A Whangārei family watched in horror as their pet dog Bruce was mauled by another canine while its owner allegedly looked on.

Bruce had to be put down by a vet and now the search is on for the dog and its owner who Amy Matthews claims simply walked away after the attack.

Four-year-old Bruce and his sister Poppy belonged to Matthews' parents who live in a fully fenced property in Ōtangarei.

Matthews is now concerned about the safety of her toddlers, saying if they had walked up to the gate, the dog could have attacked them.

On January 14, Matthews said her parents heard Bruce "yelping, barking and screaming" and went outside to find their pet being attacked by a bigger dog.

The latter was on the street but its jaws were tightly gripped on Bruce's mouth through a gap in the gate.

To their shock, she said the dog was on a leash while its owner stood next to it, making no effort to prevent the attack.

"The owner tried to get his dog off only when he saw my dad,'' she alleged.

"He kicked his dog and kept booting his dog until it let go of Bruce. When it did let go of Bruce, it must have knocked him off completely as his whole bottom jaw was shattered.

"As soon as he was separated from the dog, Bruce started this horrendous scream and wouldn't stop.

"There was blood gushing out everywhere and he ran and hid, where he usually does, in the kitchen area under the cabinet. Poppy was also out there when he was being attacked."

Bruce lived with the Whangārei family for four years before he was attacked by another canine last week. Photo / Supplied

Whangārei District Council has confirmed receiving a complaint but said tracking the offending dog and its owner was difficult without a proper identity.

"The dog owner/complainant was unable to identify the offending dog or its owner as both continued to walk away from the property where the victim dog lived and as both were unknown to the complainant," WDC health and bylaws manager Reiner Mussle said.

"At this stage, investigations are ongoing, but unless new information becomes available, it is, unfortunately, unlikely that the offending dog owner and dog will be able to be identified and held responsible."

Matthews was exasperated the other dog owner took no responsibility.

"When Bruce let out the horrendous scream, he knew something bad had happened. That's when he and his dog ran off.

"My dad saw them from behind and asked him to come back, but he did not even turn and kept running."

Bruce (left) was attacked on January 14 while his sister Poppy was also with him at the time. Photo / Supplied

Matthews said even if the person had returned to apologise "or maybe drop an apology letter in the mailbox", it would have been something.

"It is not really the dog's fault because, as an owner, if you are aware that your dog bites and when you are walking it in the public, common sense will tell you to muzzle your dog.

"I have seen a lot of dogs without a lead walking around in Ōtangarei, but this dog was on a lead and had a male owner with it."

Dogs out of control

Last year in Whangārei, 298 people were issued infringement notices for failure to keep dog controlled or confined and 45 for failure to keep a dog under control.

A total of 688 infringement offences were reported including wilful obstruction of dog control officer or ranger (11), failure to comply with the effects of classification of dog as menacing (10), and failure to register dog (285), among others.

In 2020-2021, of the 12,349 dogs registered with Whangārei District Council, 155 come under menacing categories - 104 by breed and 51 by deed.

A dozen owners were disqualified from owning a dog and one remained under probation.

The council report showed that 4981 dogs caused a disturbance in the community – 166 attacks, 1901 left wandering, 1234 for barking, 186 for rushing, 1117 for unregistered dog checks, and 377 for reactive patrols, worrying/trapping, fouling, condition check, and miscellaneous bylaw breach.

Of the 502 dogs impounded last year, 320 (63 per cent) were returned to the owner, 45 (9 per cent) were adopted, and 137 (27 per cent) were euthanised.