Dogs attack man in Wanganui park

A Wanganui man and his fox terrier were set upon by three Staffordshire-cross pig dogs in a park yesterday afternoon - the terrifying attack leaving the man with bites on his legs and scratches on his face.
The fox terrier suffered puncture wounds to the throat.
The man, who did not want to be named, had been walking across Wembley Park in Wanganui East with his tan and white fox terrier, Ruckus, and an elderly woman friend walking her labrador.
When his friend got in her car and drove off, three pig dogs that were with their owner near the archery range suddenly leapt up and headed towards the man and his dog.
"I saw them racing towards us across two fields, so I quickly picked Ruckus up. They go for little dogs you see, it's happened before," he said.
As the man was quickly walking across the field to get into the next street and home to safety, the three dogs attacked him.
"They ripped Ruckus out of my arms. I got bitten as I tried to get him away from them. I was kicking them and yelling at them to leave us alone. I'm just thankful I had these big leather boots on but they still managed to bite through the leather."
By the time he made it to his home in the next street police arrived, but the three dogs and their owner had disappeared.
An elderly man and woman, who were also walking a dog at the park, told police they had got there just after the attack and saw the man, who is a neighbour, hurrying across the field to get home.
They said he was holding his head with one hand and cuddling Ruckus.
When the man got home he quickly bathed Ruckus to get the blood off him.
He put disinfectant on the bites on his legs and on the dog's wounds, he said.
"They really scared us ... those dogs are brutal," he said.
Whanganui police Senior Sergeant Lance Kennedy said police had called in animal control to try to find the owner of the pig dogs.
DOG SAFETY
The www.dogsafety.govt.nz website says dogs have an instinct for aggressive behaviour in some situations, such as when:

- They feel threatened, perhaps by another dog or someone putting their face into theirs.
- They are approached while eating.
- A strange person or dog enters their territory.
- Someone approaches a new litter of puppies.
- Someone or another animal runs away from them, arousing a chasing instinct.
8 Simple Safety Tips

- Always ask permission from a dog's owner before approaching or petting a dog.
- Pat a dog on its chest - not on top of its head or its ears.
- Supervise children at all times when a dog is nearby.
- Stay away from a dog that is tied up, feeding, has puppies or is asleep.
- If you are approached by a dog that makes you feel uneasy, act like a tree - stand still, look at your feet not at the dog and cross your arms in front of you - when the dog moves away, walk quietly and slowly away from it.
- Never tease or annoy dogs.
- Don't act excited around a dog, or run away, ride, or play noisy games, close to a dog.
- Do not force anyone who is afraid to pet a dog. People afraid of animals sometimes make a dog uneasy and so more likely to bite.