KEY POINTS:
A man is in hospital after being bashed to the ground by three men who lay in wait at a dairy to steal his pet dog over the weekend.
The 38-year-old had cycled Napier's Pirimai Plaza Dairy with his pure-bred English bulldog Bella, aged three, about 2pm on Sunday when he was punched by the men without warning.
The man was taken to Hawke's Bay hospital with a badly broken jaw and was transferred to Palmerston North Hospital yesterday for additional surgery.
A staff member at the dairy said he was unaware the attack had happened until police arrived at the scene.
"I was shocked when a customer told me what had happened."
Constable Brendan Campbell, of the Napier CIB, said the severity of the attack had left the man unconscious for a short time.
When he regained consciousness he discovered that the dog, which had been on a leash and tied securely to his bicycle, had been taken.
Mr Campbell said the dog was a beloved family pet and described it as having a "placid" nature.
The victim's injuries meant detectives had been unable to interview him at length, although they were hoping to speak with him today.
Police had received some information from the public overnight about the attack but had yet to finalise accurate descriptions of the offenders.
Officers are appealing for any information about the incident and sightings of three men in the area of the dairy around the time of the attack.
They, and the victim, are also especially keen to find and recover Bella.
- HAWKES BAY TODAY
