Man and dog pepper sprayed in Otago

A man and his dog were tasered and pepper sprayed by Otago police. Photo / Christine Cornege

A half-naked man and his protective neapolitan bull mastiff cross dog were pepper sprayed and Tasered by Central Otago police early today.

Alexandra police were called to a fight in a residential area at 12.15am, where they found a bare-chested 22-year-old man lying in his own vomit and accompanied by his dog, Neo, Detective Sergeant Derek Shaw, of Central Otago CIB, said.

The man was suspected of breaching his home detention sentence and was arrested by two constables.

A violent struggle followed in which both the alleged offender and a police officer received bites to their legs from Neo.

The dog owner was pepper sprayed and jolted by a shot from a Taser, Mr Shaw said.

The dog was squirted with the pepper spray before it ran away.

It was later surrendered to the local council dog control office this morning.

The man is due to appear in Dunedin District Court tomorrow where he will face a variety of charges including breaching the conditions of his home detention, resisting police and threatening to kill and owning a dog that attacked a person.

Mr Shaw said the constable who was attacked by Neo was "extremely sore" from the bites and was resting at home.

"She said that she was totally preoccupied with attempting to subdue the suspect and never saw the dog coming."

Neo had bitten right through the officer's boot and into her foot, he told NZPA.

The use of the stun gun shortened the "violent struggle" which could have resulted in further injuries to all involved in the incident, Mr Shaw said.

- NZPA