By PATRICK GOWER
A pitbull terrier savaged a 12-year-old boy before turning on one of his relatives in West Auckland yesterday.
The chained animal mauled the boy after leaping up on to him and biting his shoulder, then tearing him to the ground.
The boy, who was on private property in Ranui while playing with the dog owner's younger brother, had not provoked it.
The dog later slipped the chain and attacked the boy's female relative, who was holding his bloodstained shirt and trying to help. Both victims were in hospital last night with moderate injuries.
The dog, Yasu, a 2-year-old american red-nosed pitbull crossed with a staffordshire terrier, will be put down by Waitakere City Council dog control officers today with the owner's blessing.
A neighbour, Vic Gaskin, leaped the fence to tear the boy free from the dog after hearing his moans for help. The 58-year-old had been gardening and was still wearing his gloves when he began hitting the dog with a cricket bat.
"I broke the handle. Then I picked up the blade [of the bat] and broke that as well. I gave it a bloody good whack on the head but the thing was latched on to him."
Mr Gaskin eventually freed the boy with the help of his friend, but the dog lashed out again and bit on to his hand.
When the boy was finally freed and out of reach of the dog, Mr Gaskin kept the boy's shoulder bound together with his gloves. They were left drenched in blood.
"It's lucky the dog didn't bite his head or face," said Mr Gaskin.
"There was no way that dog was going to let him go. He got a mauling and a half."
The boy could not move his arm afterwards and was saying: "I don't want to die, bro."
Mr Gaskin said the boy apologised for swearing. "I said, 'Swear away, mate'."
The dog's owner, 18-year-old Rawiri Julian, returned home after the attack and was moving the dog when it slipped the leash and attacked the female relative.
"She had his shirt and I think the dog wanted the blood," Mr Julian said.
He fought back tears while speaking to the Herald as he knew his dog would have to die.
"Yasu loved attention. Balls, sticks, he would play with anything. He was always barking and was like having an alarm."
Several neighbours said they had never seen the dog lash out before. They said it was always kept on a chain and behind a fence.
Dog attacks: the problem
Every day in New Zealand, on average, someone is admitted to hospital with dog-bite wounds and more than 20 others are treated by general practitioners.
* Health Department figures disclose 386 admissions to hospitals from dog bites in the year to June 2000.
* The Accident Compensation Corporation received 7978 claims last year relating to dog bites, for which it paid out $669,000. That compared with 7872 claims the previous year, costing it $698,000, and 4369 in the six months to December, costing $324,000.
* Last month the Government succeeded in fast-tracking a new law to control dangerous dogs. As drafted it would specifically ban american pitbull terriers and allow other breeds to be added to a restricted list.
* At least 12 dog attacks have hit the headlines this year, including that on 7-year-old Carolina Anderson.
Herald Feature: When dogs attack
How you can help
A trust fund has been opened for 7-year-old dog attack victim Carolina Anderson. You can send a cheque to: Carolina Anderson Trust Account, BNZ, PO Box 46-294, Herne Bay, or donate over the internet to BNZ account number 020 248 000 3002-000.
The Herald is backing an appeal to raise money for a $150,000 operating-room microscope for Middlemore's plastic surgery unit. The microscope is essential in minute plastic surgery work such as reattaching nerves. Middlemore has two, used on Carolina Anderson and the victims of the Pipiroa sword attack, but they need replacing. Donations can be sent to: The Microsurgery Appeal, Editorial Department, New Zealand Herald, PO Box 706, Auckland.
