The attack left the man injured and his dog, Hera, needing stitches.
The incident began when a child holding the dog lost their grip and it made a bee-line towards the pair while they were walking about 5pm on May 8.
After reporting the incident to the Dunedin City Council, the man was shocked when they told him the dog would be staying in the neighbourhood.
Until something was done, he was too nervous about the dog’s presence to even walk to his car.
‘‘I haven’t been outside to go for a walk around the [neighbourhood]. I’m just too scared.’’
The DCC confirmed it was investigating the attack and said they were aiming to have the dog classified as dangerous.
‘‘He was outside with no lead, no muzzle on — all I heard was [the dog’s name] and as I turned around, here he was going straight for my dog.’’
He then put himself between Hera and the attacking dog. However, the attacking dog latched on to his leg and dragged him out of the way.
The dog then jumped at him in an effort to reach Hera, so he wrapped his arms around the animal.
He was then bit on the hands.
Hera was bit on the leg, requiring stitches.
‘‘I had to put my hand in his mouth and put my fingers down his throat to let him make him let go.’’
A bystander eventually came and kicked the dog to get him to stop his attack.
‘‘[The dog] was going to try and kill her [Hera] — there was blood everywhere,’’ he said.
After the attack, he was unable to close his hands and both his knees were ‘‘shot’’.
Hera needed stitches but was ‘‘healing up nicely’’.
After reporting the attack to the council, he was told council wanted to classify the dog as dangerous, which meant it would be staying in the neighbourhood.
He was worried another attack was inevitable.
‘‘It could be a kid or somebody else with a small dog next time.’’
He was concerned the council’s hands were tied by the law and it would only be able to take the action needed once there was another attack .
The dog was a ‘‘big boy’’ with a lot of problems that would be hard to manage for even the best of dog trainers.
‘‘He’s got some problems — I feel sorry for the dog.’’
A council spokesman said the incident was reported by Hera’s owner and the attacking dog’s owners.
Animal control officers have since followed up, he said.
‘‘The dog was being taken out the front of the property by a child when it broke free, left the property and attacked another dog, as well as the other dog’s owner when they stepped in to defend their dog.’’
He said the attacking dog was registered, had no previous complaints against it and the owner was co-operating with council.
A dangerous classification means the dog would need to be muzzled and on a lead in public at all times. It would also need to be kept in a secure fenced area that did not require access through the property entranceway, and the owner would need to pay higher registration fees.
‘‘A prosecution is also an option, but is typically reserved for cases involving repeated offending, or where there are concerns about the owner’s ability or willingness to adequately manage the risk.’’
Under the Dog Control Act, councils did not have the authority to euthanise a dog unless the owner voluntarily signs the dog over, or the courts direct that outcome following a prosecution, the spokesman said.
The council acknowledged the distress the incident caused, and were taking the matter seriously.
