The owner of the dogs that attacked a sea lion near St Kilda Beach on Tuesday has been located and is co-operating with authorities, the Dunedin City Council says.
Dunedin City Council senior animal control officer Peter Hanlin said the woman was traced after a car registration number was noted by ''a member of the public''.
The woman was ''very co-operative,'' he said, and felt ''bad about the whole incident.''
A final decision on whether to fine the woman, and how much a potential fine should be, would be made by the middle of next week, Mr Hanlin said.
''If we decided to go down that path ... [the fine] could be around about $200.''
The incident was reported to the Department of Conservation and the DCC by Corstorphine resident Ed Baker, who witnessed the ''sustained and brutal'' attack.
He chased the dogs off with a stick.
The dogs' mouths were covered with blood, he said.
Doc conservation services manager David Agnew was ''pleased'' the owner was identified.
''It's great to see the public taking ownership of issues with pet dogs and endangered wildlife.''
Mr Agnew said the dog owner's reaction to the attack was not uncommon.
''Often [people will feel bad], especially if they're definitely known to have been ... involved.''
A DCC Facebook post yesterday implored residents to ''think about our sea lions, seals, little blue penguins, yellow-eyed penguins and other unique wildlife'' when walking their dogs.
''All these great species deserve a bit of privacy to bring up their young and live their lives safely.''
