Ultrarunner attacked by dogs on Te Araroa Trail in Northland recalls ordeal

Kobe Blondeel [centre] suffered injuries after being attacked by two dogs in Northland.

The international ultrarunner attacked by “wild” dogs on a Northland leg of the Te Araroa Trail has spoken out about his ordeal.

Kobe Blondeel is part of the support crew for well-known Belgian ultrarunner Karel Sabbe, who is attempting to run the shortest-ever journey of the 3054km trail that stretches from Cape Rēinga to Bluff Hill Motupōhue in Southland.

Blondeel and Sabbe were four days into the journey when Sabbe posted on social media that they had been attacked by wild dogs and Blondeel had suffered injuries.

However, the two dogs who attacked them were not wild, as reported, but belonged to the owner of a property in the Far North.

Blondeel told the Northern Advocate the attack happened on Russell Rd in Russell on January 19 at about 2pm.

“We noticed two dogs 50 metres ahead of us and we didn’t think anything of it, and the dogs wandered off into the bush,” Blondeel said.

“When we got to the point near the bush, they came out and ran straight at us from behind; by the time we realised what was going on they were right on us.

“I was closest to the dogs, so they bit me.

“I fell and that’s how I broke my arm.

“When I was on the ground and they were biting my leg, I thought they would jump on my back. By the time I got up, they let go and ran off.”

Kobe Blondeel is part of well-known Belgian ultrarunner Karel Sabbe’s [pictured] support crew. They are attempting to run the shortest-ever journey on the Te Araroa Trail.

The Northern Advocate understands the dogs had been reported to the Far North District Council’s [FNDC] animal control team before.

FNDC said it has no details of any previous incidents.

Blondeel described the dogs as “mid-sized” and black and tan in colour.

He suffered dog bites on the back of his right knee and a broken radial head on his left elbow.

He was driven to Whangārei White Cross where he was treated.

“The pain is okay, but very unfortunate for the project,” he said. “I was planning on running more but have had to stop.

“The doctor recommended not to run for two to four weeks, then I have to check in with a specialist then reevaluate.”

Blondeel said several people had been in contact with him about the attack, including someone from the council.

FNDC delivery and operations acting group manager Trent Blakeman said the council has “no record of this incident being reported”.

“Roaming dogs are concerning for most people,” Blakeman said.

“Far North District Council animal management officers rely on the public to report all cases of aggressive or wandering dogs in our district and will respond as soon as possible to all such reports.”

Sabbe, a double Guinness World Record holder, keynote speaker and coach, has hiked and run in many countries, including covering the Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trail.

Te Araroa Trail executive director Matt Claridge said there is not a wild dog issue on the trail.

Before the dog attack, he said he was glad to return to New Zealand with his support crew after a previous visit.

He and Blondeel set out early from Cape Rēinga on January 16 and are currently south of Auckland on the way to Huntly.

Te Araroa Trail executive director Matt Claridge said he’d spoken to Blondeel, who didn’t know the distinction between feral and domesticated roaming dogs.

“As a European he described the dogs as wild because they were; they were barking.

“We think of wild dogs as being feral, but they weren’t ... they were from a residential area.

“There’s not a dog issue on the Te Araroa Trail; it’s an isolated incident.”

Claridge said there had previously been problems with wild dogs on the Te Paki coastal track in the Far North, but the Department of Conservation [DoC] and Ngāti Kuri had dealt with it.

Packs of roaming feral dogs have killed hundreds of livestock on farms, including more than 120 ewes and lambs at the Nilsson’s property near Cape Rēinga in 2021.

Off the back of the attacks, DoC closed some walking trails to the public for a time.

Last September, DoC engaged sharp-shooting hunters to track down the dogs before the tramping season.

Doc was concerned about the potential for trampers to be attacked while walking, given multiple sightings of feral dogs over the years.

Dog attacks continue to rise year-on-year in the Far North District.

FNDC figures show there were 201 dog attacks on people, stock and domestic animals in the Far North in 2020/21, which increased to 229 attacks in 2021/22.

There were 257 attacks in 2022/23, and 278 attacks in 2023/24.

Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.