Family's pit bull turns into 'killer machine'

JANELLE KIRKLAND
Blood and smashed windows, a dying dog and a terrorised family greeted animal control officer Raymond Fierebend on Saturday, as he faced the aftermath of a frenzied pit bull attack.
The family, fearing for its safety, holed up in a room to get away from the enraged animal, before escaping out a window at their Mayfair home.
Fearing for his own safety, Mr Fierebend used a baby walker for protection while he subdued the 2-year-old dog which had, until the attack, been a beloved family pet.
He was called to the address about 7.30pm on Saturday, along with Hastings Police, and said the sight that greeted him was unlike any dog attack he had seen.
A 16-year-old spaniel lay bleeding and dying in the passageway and had to be shot due to the extent of its injuries.
A 20-year-old female resident was treated at Hawke's Bay Hospital for minor injuries from the pit bull, and discharged the same day.
``We decided to go through the back door because the pit bull was so enraged,' Mr Fierebend said. ``There were smashed doors from where the dogs were fighting. It was showing a lot of aggression towards me, salivating and barking.
``I walked into the passageway and there was blood all down the passageway and the injured spaniel was lying there.
`` The loin area around the rib cage had been ripped off and its lungs were punctured and it was gasping for air. I told police my opinion was to shoot the dog because waiting for the vet would have taken too long, so we took him out to the A and P Showgrounds to be shot.'
The showdown would have been like a ``killer machine versus nothing', he said.
Bringing the enraged dog under control was a dangerous task.
``I saw the pit bull and could see it was ready to turn on me, so I used the baby's walker like a shield.
``It was just in a frenzy. It was just nuts, really.'
The family told him the dog had been a nice family pet until it began showing signs of aggression two weeks earlier.
``But this is a prime example of a pit bull, which is like leaving a loaded shotgun around.'
Mr Fierebend had seen dogs become enraged over food before, but the family told him the fight had started over nothing, in a separate room to them. They were grateful the dog had not hurt a child, as there was at least one toddler living in the house.
The dog was to be destroyed today with family consent. Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule said pit bulls should not be in family homes and should be reclassified as a ``dangerous dog'.
``They are classified as menacing-by-breed, which means the dog has to be muzzled in public, but they should be automatically classified as a dangerous dog,' he said.
``This would mean they would have to be neutered, and restrained with a muzzle and a lead while in public.' More needed to be done to address the unpredictable animals.