A woman attacked by a pit bull at Yatton Park on Saturday wants to thank the people she believes saved her dog's life.
Mary Trufitt was walking her dog, a miniature wire haired daschund name Indiana, when the pair of them were attacked, and bitten.
Bandaged and bruised, Mary Trufitt with Indiana recover after being attacked by a pitbull. Alongside are the bloodied clothes she was wearing at the time of the attack.
'This big American pit bull got me to the ground and sunk his teeth in my leg and hand and into my little dog,” says Mary.
Mary was taken to hospital by ambulance with bites to her hand and leg while Indie was taken away to a vet.
'We were ever so worried because it happened over the weekend and we couldn't get any news about him,” says Mary.
'Anyway, we got him back Sunday lunchtime and he was stitched up, but he's going to be alright. He's a gutsy little chap.
'What I really wanted to says was thank you to everybody who came to my rescue.”
The pit bull first went for a poodle being walked by a lady named Diane, says Mary.
'She fended it off with her ball thrower, and it came over and attacked us,” says Mary.
'So she turned and saw it happening, and she came and started thumping this dog for all she was worth with her ball stick.
'I think eventually, I don't know I was a bit out of it – eventually they managed to get it off with the girls pulling it and I think a man helping as well. Another guy came over and told my husband because we are right opposite the park.
'The ambulance came and the police came, and strangely enough there was a man there, I was almost out of it, but I could hear this going on – a man there said he had reported this pit bull twice and nobody had done anything about it.
'We live in Yatton Street and apparently the dog comes from Roy's Road which is a road off Yatton Street. Apparently the police went round there and they have done a runner.
'The dog people were going to keep an eye on the place. They know where it is.”
Mary says she's got a big gouge like a tooth mark in her leg and she won't know how bad it is until the doctor has another look at it this afternoon.
Tauranga City Council dog control officers and Greerton police were not able to be contacted this morning.
Tauranga City Council monitoring offer John Payne says while the council normally prosecutes dog control incidents, the police take over where there has been a serious assault.
9 comments
Next....
Posted on 02-05-2011 12:52 | By wreck1080
Yet another attack.Will happen again. Ho hum. If I were boss , I'd ban all dogs which look dangerous. So what if a few people get upset. Just ask the opinion of the next toddler or person that gets mauled by one of these killing machines.
Posted on 02-05-2011 12:57 | By The author of this comment has been removed.
People who chose to own dangerous animals should be held completely responsible for their actions. Unfortunately the word RESPONSIBILITY is a word quickly vanishing from our vocabulary due to constant promises (all empty of course) by successive governments to be responsible for your health, your education, mental wellbeing and everything else these auctioneers of other peoples property can think of. Who gives them permission? All those who vote for them pleading for Free education(sic) Free healthcare(sic). It can never change now as They have effectively disarmed the people and made them blind to the cause. Sad really. I hope the owners of these dogs are made to pay and for their neglect and their ignorance.
Dogs
Posted on 02-05-2011 13:26 | By jaimilee
Its sad to see another dog attack and hopefully they find the person. This dog must have been brought up to attack and people like that shouldn't own a dog. I own two Rottweilers and they wouldn't hurt a fly. Its not the dogs its the owners!
Dog attack
Posted on 02-05-2011 13:30 | By tia
Here we go again, another emotive reaction over dogs. Let's get real. No dog owner (sorry, dog)should be off a leash in a public place unless identified as 'dog exercise' areas. Secondly, the temperment of any dog is the result of the training (or lack of training) by the owner. Most of these attacking breeds are owned by those who do not comply with the rules of society so why should they worry about what their dog does or where it wanders. Most do not even register their dog so it is about time Animal control was enforced, not on the dog but on the non-complying owner. Increase the penalties and give the 'responsible' owner some relief.
four legs good; two legs bad...
Posted on 02-05-2011 14:07 | By morepork
Most of us who have ever enjoyed the company of a dog know that it is incredibly rare for a well trained animal in a loving household to attack anyone. The general opinion in this thread seems to be that the owners are responsible and that is certainly the case. However, the report states that when the police arrived, the owners had "done a runner". There are some cynical people in the community who don't see dogs as faithful companions and playmates. They see them as vicious, expendable, attack troops which can be used to make attacks on others which their owners would be too cowardly to make. These are the people that need to be targeted by the police and the community and prevented from ever owning a dog. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to enforce this until damage has been done. The pit bull that did this wasn't born vicious (many people have pit bulls which are faithful and loving companions); it was trained that way by humans and as a result, is now a threat to the community and needs to be put down. The dog had no say in it and the people who created this travesty might as well have killed it when they first embarked on training it to reflect their own anti-social attitudes. I feel sorry for the dog as well as for Mary and her pet who had to undergo this. Nobody wins here. If the owners are caught and prosecuted it doesn't help Mary's wounds to heal. We need severe penalties for owners whose animals attack others, and first and foremost of those penalties should be prohibition from ever owning another dog, with a jail sentence if this is flouted. It is hard for the police to prove that someone owns an unregistered dog and this is where the community can assist by being prepared to state that the said dog is kept on the premises. Neighbours know if someone has a dog. Best wishes to Mary and her brave little dog. Responsible dog owners don't want to see this any more than the rest of the community does.
Dog Attack
Posted on 02-05-2011 17:24 | By Glen Clova
All large dogs should be muzzled and on a lead,the council should enforce the law. Dogs found not muzzled and unleashed should be destroyed no reprieve,end of story.
@Kirrie
Posted on 02-05-2011 17:50 | By The author of this comment has been removed.
You're the one that needs the muzzle, darling. The size of the dog makes no difference to the attack capabilities... or the moron level of the owner. I've had big lab crosses for 30 years and they've never attacked or even snarled at anyone, yet there's been plenty of snappy little Sh****s that have had a go at my dogs, my children, my grandchildren. And pit bulls arent that big. its not the size that counts, its the temperament and the ownership. in most cases, society would do better to shoot the owner.
Roaming dog
Posted on 02-05-2011 19:47 | By dgk
We've reported this free roaming dog before to the council, and little to nothing has happened. A real pity the council could have prevented this attack by doing something when told by people about this particular dog.
patsyanne
Posted on 03-05-2011 19:57 | By Glen Clova
My answer to you is if a dog has a muzzle on it it cant bite anyone.They should be on a leach at all times. so as not to be a danger to the public.
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