‘Wine’ dog mauled
A dog that featured in a book about vineyard dogs has been fatally mauled outside a vet clinic in Marlborough.
Paula Hill and her labrador, Phoebe, were leaving Vets on Alabama, in Blenheim, last week when another dog in the car park broke free of its owner and lunged at Phoebe.
The dog went ‘‘straight for her throat’’, and bit Phoebe’s ear and face, Hill said.
The dog’s owner let go of his other, smaller dog, so he could try to separate the dogs, but the second dog latched on to Phoebe’s back, Hill said.
‘‘Nobody could get the big dog off her. The receptionist hurt her hand as she hit it on the back.’’
While the owner ‘‘threw himself’’ on the dog, the breed of which is not clear at this stage, Hill kicked the smaller dog away, grabbed its lead and took it inside. ‘‘I was just, I’m afraid to say, a heap. I know what dogs are like when they latch on like that,’’ she said.
‘‘There was no way this dog was going to let go.’’
Eventually a clinic staff member threw a bucket of water on the dogs and the dog let go, but the damage was done.
A vet treated Phoebe’s wounds and gave her some pain relief, and Hill took her home, staying up all night with her.
‘‘I couldn’t bear it, the noises she was making. I couldn’t stop shaking, I was terribly upset.
‘‘Our nice, lovely dog we loved, getting bitten like that.’’
A vet came the next day to administer another dose of pain relief and check the wounds, but they were too much for the 14-year-old dog and she had to be put down.
‘‘She was old, but it shortened her life, and shortened it painfully. She was such a gentle soul.
‘‘I can’t believe people have dogs like that. I’m sorry, I just think it’s ridiculous that people have dogs like that. Maybe it is good with the children, maybe it is a nice people dog, but he’s got to be keeping it away from other dogs,’’ Hill said.
Phoebe was one of six dogs featured on Fairhall Downs’ wine labels, as the small brown dog on the chardonnay bottle.
She was also immortalised in the 2015 edition of Wine Dogs New Zealand, a book on the various dogs often seen at vineyards across the country.
Hill’s husband, Colin Hill, said he was devastated to hear of Phoebe’s death, and that he was not there to comfort Paula.
He was in Britain on business at the time.
He hoped the Marlborough District Council would prosecute the owner of the dog, and called for tighter restrictions on particular breeds. ‘‘These attack dogs now have the blood scent. Who or what will be next? Another dog or a child chasing a ball in a park?
‘‘We all have a duty of care, but it is the council’s ultimate responsibility to take action to keep everyone safe in these matters.
‘‘The answer is always a muzzle, then they cannot bite. They need to be identified and being out without a muzzle, there’s a fine. You can get a bite or nip from any dog usually because of something you have done, but some dogs are bred for hunting and killing reasons and it’s in their mindset, and they are very dangerous.’’
A Marlborough District Council spokesman said the council was investigating the incident, but could not comment further until the investigation was complete.
He could not reveal the breed of the dog.
The Dog Control Act lists five breeds as menacing which means the owner has to ensure they are muzzled at all times in public. They are: american pit bull terriers, brazilian fila, dogo argentino, japanese tosa, and perro de presa canario.
‘‘There was no way this dog was going to let go.’’ Paula Hill