Fast driver drags dog behind SUV

An overseas visitor has described seeing a dog being dragged on a lead behind a vehicle travelling at a fast clip on a Far North road.

Werner Roos, who lives in Auckland on a work visa from South Africa, says he chased the vehicle but it turned off into a driveway.

He told the Herald yesterday: “I saw a person dragging a dog behind his car. It was on its stomach with its back legs dragging, with its head in the air.”

He said a lead tied to the dog’s neck was attached to the towbar of the silver sports utility vehicle. He estimated it was travelling about 60km/h.

The driver was leaving the highway and turning into Ambler Rd, a gravel road off State Highway 16, when Roos was driving past.

“It looked like a light brown pit bull. I stopped as fast as I could and turned to confront him, but I believe he saw me stopping and he drove away fast.”

Roos said he believed the driver turned into a driveway. “I did drive at quite some pace to the end of the road and at that point the gate was closed and no dust in the air.”

Roos said he considered walking on to the private properties to find the driver but decided it was a job best left to the police.

“I didn’t go in, because if you could do that to a dog imagine what they would do to a person,” he said.

He said he drove to the nearest police station in Rawene to report the incident and also left a voicemail message with police.

A police spokeswoman confirmed police received the phone message about the incident and were making further inquiries.

Roos said he had also alerted the SPCA about the incident.