Kirstie O'Sullivan was bit on the leg by the dog at an Auckland beach. Photo / supplied
Kirstie O'Sullivan was bit on the leg by the dog at an Auckland beach. Photo / supplied
An Auckland mother and former Shortland Street star has described a "terrifying" unprovoked attack by a large, unleashed dog which left her with a 13cm wound on her leg and buttock.
News of the attack comes as new research shows injuries from dog bites have been steadily on the rise across New Zealand.
A witness took this photo soon after the dog attack. Photo / supplied
Kirstie O'Sullivan, a voice coach and actress known for her former role as villainous nurse Robyn Stokes on Shortland Street, said she was walking alone on Pt Chevalier Beach just before 3pm on Sunday when the attack happened.
She noticed a large, unleashed dog playing in the water with its owner.
As she passed by, it charged at her from around 50m away.
"As he got a bit closer to me I thought, 'He's not slowing down.' Then as he drew closer I thought, 'He's going to bite me'," she told NZME. News Service today.
O'Sullivan stood still to avoid agitating the animal, but it proceeded to bite her on the back of her right leg and buttock.
"When it was on its back legs it was almost my head height," she said.
"I can honestly say it was the most terrifying experience of my life to date."
The doctor who treated the bite described it as "the largest jaw span bite she'd ever seen", measuring 13cm from top to bottom.
Kirstie O'Sullivan in her days on Shortland Street. Photo / supplied
It was all the more frightening for O'Sullivan because it was the first time she had walked along Pt Chevalier Beach without her two children since her 6-month-old baby was born.
"Where the dog bit me is exactly at my 3-year-old daughter's head height," she said.
When she asked the dog owner what would have happened if her children had been present, he claimed the dog would never attack a child.
Although O'Sullivan asked for the man and his dog's names, Auckland Council's animal management department was unable to match the details given to their database.
The man is described as being in his 30s or early 40s and slightly overweight, wearing a grey beanie. He said his name was Brian Byrne and his dog's name was Ronaldo.
In an attempt to track the owner down, O'Sullivan made a Facebook post describing the incident with a photo of the dog and owner, which was taken by a witness.
It has been shared nearly 800 times and O'Sullivan said she had received a lot of support from dog owners, many of whom identified the distinctively large dog as potentially being a leonberger or English bull mastiff.
Despite the attack, she said she didn't want to see the dog destroyed - although she is worried it could attack again.
"I don't want harm to come to a dog because of a really irresponsible and poorly educated owner," she said.
"I also don't want a child to be disfigured or possibly killed by a dog in a public place where they should feel safe."
Dog attacks on the rise
A study by Dr Olivia Hill, a former plastic surgery registrar at Wellington Hospital, found the prevalence of dog bite injuries at the Wellington Regional Plastics Unit has grown steadily - a trend that is reflected right across New Zealand.
ACC figures show dog related injury claims steadily grew from 10,292 claims in 2005 to 12,638 in 2014 - an increase of 22.8 per cent.
The claims cover not only bites, but all injuries caused by dogs.
According to Dr Hill's research, half of all dog bite wounds were inflicted to the face.
However, the site of the injury was closely associated with the victim's age - with children more likely to be bitten on the head and neck region, due to their height.
Over a third of dog bite injuries are seen on children under the age of 10.
"It is much more common for adults to sustain bites to the limbs, usually on the arm, and usually as a result of trying to break up a dog fight," said Dr Hill.
"More education needs to be directed at children and safety in handling dog fights."
ACC dog-related injury claims and payouts by year:
