Woman mauled trying to save toddler from pitbull

A Tokoroa woman has been mauled by a pitbull mastiff as she tried to prevent it attacking a child.

It is believed the pitbull, which has since been destroyed, was the woman's own dog.

She was saved by a man who set his own dogs on to the pitbull to distract it.

Police are to nominate the man for a community award.

The 28-year-old woman was set upon when she threw herself between the dog and a two-year-old child it was attacking.

The woman and two young children were in Matarawa Park at Tokoroa at about 4.30pm on Friday when the five-year-old pitbull mastiff started attacking the toddler, Sergeant Karen Smith of Tokoroa police said.

"It looks as though the woman has put herself between the dog and the child to stop it from attacking the child and the dog has ripped off her clothes.

"She has some very serious injuries."

If it had not been for the actions of a man walking past the park with his two german shepherds on a leash, the woman could have easily been more gravely injured or killed, Ms Smith said.

"We could be dealing with something a lot more serious if it wasn't for this man going to her aid.

"He booted and kicked the dog but it wouldn't let go of her.

"It wasn't until he released his own dogs, which was enough of a distraction, that the dog let go of the woman," she said.

Both the woman and the child suffered extensive injuries and bruising and were treated at Tokoroa Hospital before being transferred to Waikato Hospital.

Police found the dog and it was destroyed.

The Government recently released tough new dog control laws after seven-year-old Auckland schoolgirl Carolina Anderson was attacked and mauled by a dog in an Auckland park.

Police are seeking any witnesses to the Tokoroa attack.


- DAILY POST (ROTORUA)