“I managed to get my boot into one of them and it was the leader of the dogs. And he shot back into the yard and the others sort of turned around and followed after, thank goodness. Because they weren’t going to give up.”
He was left with some “gouges” on the top of his leg and bottom. He also had a gouge under his arm as one dog was “hanging off there”.
“My leg was in a bit of pain. And I ... had a bit of a breather and then carried on home.
“Once I calmed down, the pain went away ... but it was still sore to touch.”
The man said he did not seek medical help for his injuries.
He said he was “all good” but was “a bit wary of dogs at the moment”.
When he went to pick his car up in the afternoon, he walked past the property on the other side of the road and saw an Animal Control vehicle parked there.
“So, I thought, ‘Oh well, I’ll go over there and talk to them’.”
The man reported the attack and told them: “I’ve got a couple of holes in my leg where the dog latched on”.
Dogs were ‘jumping on him’
A Rotorua woman, who did not want to be identified, said she called Animal Control a couple of months ago after she saw three dogs attack a man walking down the footpath on Sunset Rd.
She said the man “luckily” managed to get away but the dogs “went for his hands and were jumping on him”.
The woman described the dogs as medium to large in size.
Council investigating complaints
Rotorua Lakes Council community and district development group manager Jean-Paul Gaston confirmed the council had received a report about the dog attack on the man two months ago.
The investigation was still ongoing so the council could not discuss any details or whether it was linked to another investigation.
“I want to stress the importance of responsible dog ownership. Dogs must always be under their owner’s control, as any dog can potentially attack people or animals if not properly managed.”
Rotorua Lakes Council community and district development group manager Jean-Paul Gaston. Photo / Laura Smith
“The team is working with the owner of the dogs that are alleged to have taken part and they are now being held by Animal Control.
“We have also been in regular contact with the injured person’s whānau.”
“Although we cannot comment further on the actual incident it is a timely reminder of the importance of good dog ownership and that dogs must be under the control of their owners at all times.
“All dogs are capable of attacking under the right circumstances.”
A police spokesman said on Wednesday police had no further updates. He referred the Rotorua Daily Post to Health NZ for a status update on the person injured but did say the person was stable.
The Rotorua Daily Post asked Health NZ on Wednesday for a condition update on the person injured on Tuesday. Health NZ said it did not provide condition updates without details of the individual and a privacy waiver to be considered.
