Today, police told the Herald that the officer who required surgery is “recovering well”.
“The other officer involved was treated for dog bite injuries but is also recovering well at home, and did not sustain serious injuries.”
Police said the man faces a charge of resisting arrest in relation to the incident.
Earlier, Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson said support was being wrapped around the injured staff members.
“The two staff members went through to hospital for treatment. One of them required surgery.
“Obviously this is a distressing incident for both them and their colleagues and they are receiving all available support.
“I’m extremely proud of the bravery of our staff, particularly the courage shown by the second officer, who jumped in to stop his colleague being attacked even further.
“After any injury sustained in the line of duty, police will debrief and look at how we can prevent this in the future.”
Animal control has been advised and has uplifted the animal involved.
The mother of the man arrested, who was home at the time of the incident, told the Herald the ordeal had left her distressed and heartbroken about the fate of the family dog.
She said it was her son’s “constant companion” and the pair were very close.
“My head is just quite all over the place and I don’t know what to do.”
Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.
