Pensioner mauled a third time
A 95-year-old man whose dog was killed in an attack has been mauled by a dog for a third time near his Northland home.
The dog allegedly responsible had now been impounded, the Far North District Council said.
A neighbour said Jim Morgan was going for a walk near his home in Kaikohe when two dogs ‘‘just attacked him out of the blue’’ on Monday afternoon.
Morgan recently lost his dog Sandy after they were attacked by a pack of pig dogs in December 2018. It was the second attack the pair had experienced.
Morgan was bitten on the hip and was suffering from shock from the attack on Monday, the neighbour said. ‘‘The dogs got their teeth into Jim,’’ she said.
It had been two months since Morgan and Sandy were attacked by pig dogs roaming the street.
Morgan had even taken to walking in the middle of the street to avoid getting too close to any loose dogs, the neighbour said. ‘‘It’s unbelievable – he should be able to walk on the footpath and feel safe.’’
Morgan usually went for walks two to three times a day but since the attack, he had stopped going for walks, the neighbour said. ‘‘This morning, he told us that he has completely lost confidence,’’ she said.
The neighbour believed the Far North District Council was too lenient on people who had loose dogs and said dog control had been a problem in the area since 2000.
Far North District Council spokesman Darren Edwards said animal management officers had yesterday seized the dog that allegedly attacked Morgan.
Another young dog, that was not believed to have taken part in the alleged attack, had also been impounded.
Officers had also conducted door-to-door checks of the street, which found five of a total of 16 dogs were not registered.
‘‘This does not resolve persistent dog control problems we have in parts of the district,’’ Edwards said. ‘‘Since the December 16 attack on Mr Morgan and his dog, Sandy, we have impounded 20 straying dogs and seized another two in the Kaikohe area.
‘‘That illustrates how pervasive the problem of irresponsible dog ownership is.
‘‘It is not just a Kaikohe problem, this is replicated across the district.’’ Edwards said many dog owners did not respect the law or council staff.
‘‘They hide dogs after an attack and refuse to co-operate with animal management officers. We have to operate within the law and adhere to a high burden of proof when taking dog owners to court.’’
Life without Sandy
Morgan, who is hard of hearing and 95 per cent blind, said he was ‘‘just walking the dog down the street’’ when the off-leash dogs attacked in December 2018.
‘‘They left my dog totally injured,’’ Morgan said.
During the attack, Morgan was knocked to the ground and injured his hip while the dogs crushed and gouged Sandy’s hind leg. Sandy’s injuries were too great and Morgan’s beloved dog had to be euthanised.
The neighbour said Morgan was still ‘‘broken’’ over Sandy’s death. The pair used to do everything together, the neighbour said. ‘‘He’s really broken – when we talk about it, he starts crying.’’
In 2016, the pair were both injured after being attacked by an off-leash dog.