Woman 'devastated' after dogs shatter knee on morning walk

Karyn Dobson suffered leg injuries when she was bowled over on the Pt Chevalier Beach by two dogs whilst she was out walking her dog Maddie. Photo / Supplied

An Auckland woman who spent months getting fit after two knee operations is devastated she's back to square one after two dogs bowled into her leg and shattered it.

Karyn Dobson, 56, was walking her 7-month-old puppy, Maddie, on Pt Chevalier beach on Saturday morning when out of the corner of her eye she noticed two dogs running towards her.

"There were two dogs running very hard, very playfully at the beach," she said. "They were only interested in each other and probably did not see me at all.

"I thought I'd move out of the way, but unfortunately they swerved in my direction and crashed into my knee."

Dobson recalls knowing straight away "everything" in her leg was broken. She toppled over and landed on her hip and just screamed.

The force of the two canines had left her with a shattered kneecap, a crushed tibia and a broken ankle.

The mother-of-two who worked for a local construction company said the injuries served as a double whammy as she had only just gotten back into shape after previous operations on her knees two years ago.

"So after having gone to all that effort, getting fit, losing weight, some other dogs have taken me out in a worse fashion."

Despite her frustration, Dobson did not bear any ill-will towards the dogs who she said were just doing what dogs did.

"It was just unfortunate I got in their way."

But, Dobson said as she lay there on the cold wet sand, waiting for the ambulance staff to arrive as concerned passersbys stopped to help, in the midst of it all she thought to herself: "Where are the dog owners?".

She said it was unlikely the owners knew of what had happened if they did not have a close eye on their dogs.

"I think there is a degree of responsibility for owners to be close to their dogs, I would not let my dog go haring off around the beach. If there is any chance of anybody getting knocked over I'd be alert to that."

Dobson said as a result of her injuries she was faced surgery and months off work, unable to drive, or walk without aid.

"It's devastating, I'm worried about my income, worried about managing my home and not being able to do anything."

She also had two exchange students staying with her, who had become part of the family, but who she had now asked the school to transfer as she felt unable to care for them.

"They came today with flowers to visit ... everybody is pretty upset actually ... we were having a nice time.

"This is a big change in my life, one I could have done well without."