Waikato dog attack: Couple urge owner of dangerous animal to fess up after beloved pet dies

Nieka, the seven-year-old Shar Pei had to be put down after injuries from a dog attack in her own backyard in Huntly. Photo / Hans Huisman

“It’s not about revenge, it’s about the pain she went through.”

These are Hans and Nita Huisman’s words, a retired Huntly couple who had to euthanise their beloved 7-year-old Shar Pei after it was badly injured by another dog.

The couple told Waikato Herald they want the dog responsible found and put down to prevent future attacks on animals or even children.

On November 5, their dog Nieka was on their property at Lake View Terrace about 4am when Nita heard crying sounds and heavy growling.

A “medium-sized tan dog” had managed to get over the gate and had Nieka in its grasp.

“She was pushed against the fence by the gate and you could only see the back of this dog but it was just really hoeing into her.

“Nieka was crying and the dog was staunch ... really getting into her,” she said.

Warning graphic content Nieka had a 20% chance of survival after being attacked by another dog in Huntly on November 5. Photo / Hans Huisman

“I grabbed a broom and my grandson got it off me, hit the dog with it, and it took about two tries for it to jump over the gate and take off.”

Nieka was still walking after the attack, and Nita brought her inside to look at the damage.

“There was just blood everywhere and you could see parts of her ear hanging off.”

She and her grandson made some calls, rushed Nieka to the after-hours vet in Hamilton where they gave morphine and antibiotics to calm her, and then took her to Anexa Vets at Te Kauwhata about 8am.

Hans, a part-time truck driver was on the road at the time. Nita called him to share the bad news, as Nieka was his dog.

Warning graphic content. Nieka was attacked at a Lake View Terrace home about 4am on November 5. Photo / Hans Huisman

“They reckoned she had a 20% chance of survival,” Hans said.

“They didn’t know if they could stop the bleeding around the brain because her wounds were so close to it, and then chances of infections after the operation. They said it’d be $2000 but that wasn’t the problem.

“There was only a 20% chance she’d make it through. With all that pain, it was better to put her to sleep.”

The duo discovered that her “whole ear canal had been ripped” so if she survived, she wouldn’t be able to hear and “wouldn’t be living her best life.”

Hans didn’t believe Nieka was badly hurt when Nita first told him but when he realised how bad it was, he couldn’t see her in that state.

“I would rather remember her how she was than like that,” he said between tears.

Nieka was cremated and her ashes come home this week, but the couple say their lives have changed since the attack.

Nieka was 8-weeks-old when they got her, and was an incentive for Hans to go for a daily walk, to help with health issues. Now, he doesn’t want to go for walks.

“It’s like cutting up meat and you go to give some to the dog, but there is no dog. You go downstairs and her lead’s hanging there ... we see something moving but it’s not her.

“You still get the lump in your throat every time you think about it ... we miss her.”

Nieka was the fourth Shar Pei Hans has owned, but to him, she was “one of a kind, she was just perfect”.

The couple said they couldn’t own another dog.

“It’s too hard when you lose one like this. You can’t have another because until that dog is caught, you can’t leave it outside, it will have no life,” Nita said.

Nieka was only 8 weeks old when the Huismans brought her home.

“Our house is fenced and the gate was always shut, she wasn’t even safe in her own backyard.”

The couple wants the owner to “own up” and prove that their dog has been put down.

Nita said it was “not about revenge”.

“After you see the savageness of the attack, it scares the sh*t outta you. If it’s [killing] dogs, what’s next?”

They’ve had no luck identifying the dog involved.

Waikato District Council is investigating.

“The council takes all incidents extremely seriously and is working hard to conclude the investigation. The complainant is being kept up to date on the progress of the investigation by council staff,” a council spokesperson said.

It’s important that the public notify council about roaming dogs or public safety issues relating to dog control. People can notify the council call centre of concerns at 0800 492 452.

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.