Youth savaged by Neapolitan mastiff

An 18-year-old youth was rushed to hospital after he was savagely attacked by a neapolitan mastiff in Te Karaka, near Gisborne, on Friday.

Ash Ward needed stitches to the underside of his left arm, where the dog ripped his muscle away from the bone, and has puncture wounds covering his left arm and right thigh.

However, his injuries could have been much worse. At almost 190 centimetres tall, Ash was able to hold off the dog as it repeatedly lunged at his throat.

The huge dog was already classified as dangerous after a previous attack and was supposed to be muzzled, neutered and microchipped. None of these had been done.

Ash had been at a friend's house when the dog escaped from the 12-year-old boy who was walking it.

"It was freaky. The dog just bowled down the gate and ran straight up to me and attacked my leg," he said.

"I was shocked. I tried to step backwards and tripped up and it jumped on my chest. It went for my throat but I managed to get my arm in the way.

"I just kept thinking I had to keep the dog away from my face. I tired sticking my fingers in its eyes and it didn't flinch, just kept going."

Ash's friend Mike Banks Jnr and his father Mike Banks Snr tried for five minutes to rescue Ash.

"My mate's dad put his fingers right to the back of its eyes and whacked it with a plank but it didn't do anything. It wouldn't get off. He ended up putting a rope around its neck and putting it over a tree branch and pulling the dog up."

Ash's height, strength and thick hoodie protected him during the potentially life-threatening attack, said Gisborne District Council chief animal control officer Pat Collins.

"It could have been a hell of a lot worse. If Ash hadn't had his arm up in front of his neck, that dog would've ripped his throat out," said Mr Collins.

"He was lucky his friend was there. If the victim had been a kid, an elderly person or just someone who wasn't as strong as Ash they could've died in an attack like this.

"Some dogs are easier to stop when they are attacking but look at the size of these dogs, a person's head would nearly fit inside their mouth. The amount of strength and biting power that they have is extreme. These dogs get up to 95kgs."

The dog is to be destroyed and the owners charged, said Mr Collins.

"We have been looking for this dog. It deserved a bullet then and there when it was attacking this young man. Any dog that attacks belongs in the ground.

"It is a classified dog, which means it should have been muzzled, neutered and microchipped and it should have been walked by someone who could control it.

"A fortnight ago I was telling people to be careful with their dogs. If you are told to put a muzzle on your dog, for God's sake put it on. This is what happens if you don't," Mr Collins said.

- NZPA