Fierce pit bull attack prompts warning to others

Roaming dogs are dangerous. Photo/Thinkstock

Attacked and left bloodied by a "tormented" dog, a Hastings woman says roaming canines are becoming far too familiar and dangerous among sleepy neighbourhood streets.

Shona Hawtin was mowing the front lawn at her Sussex St home, where she has lived for 25 years, when the charging pit bull "came out of nowhere".

The nearly 60-year-old was viciously bitten on her left leg, a leg already suffering from medical complications, just after 9am on February 26.

"I ran inside and wrapped a tea towel tight around my leg which was bleeding quite bad.

" Then I saw a police car pull up across the road and I yelled for some help."

She said police were attending an alleged domestic incident at the home of the dog's owner.

"The owner saw his dog bite me, he yelled some abuse at me after I said 'hey, your dog just bit me', before he ran after it trying to catch him."

Ms Hawtin said police officers cared for her, while animal control was called.

"He [the dog owner] ran over to Splash Planet with his dog trying to hide from the police, so Animal Control wouldn't take it [the dog] away."

She described the owner and his partner who live across the street as "neighbours from hell".

"I've lived on this street for a long time.

"They moved in just before Christmas and it's been a nightmare since then. The police are around here all the time and the dog just roams about."

Taken to hospital with a sizeable gash in her leg, Ms Hawtin went through a series of x-rays before receiving eight stitches. She has been off work for the past three weeks as a result of her injury.

"It's really set me back. I've been off work since then - But really it's lucky that the dog went after me and not a child."

She identified the dog a week later at the pound where the owner agreed to have him destroyed.