\u201cI\u2019m really comfortable with dogs. I know how to read their behaviour and I know what to do when a dog\u2019s aggressive, but in these two situations, the dogs were on me before I even knew it.\u201d<\/p>\n
On September 17, she was biking the cycle lane by the Wairoa River Bridge and noticed two dogs barking and acting aggressively towards a cyclist ahead of her.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the dogs climbed through the fence and proceeded to bite my right calf, then attacked my left calf before jumping up on me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just squeezed through the fence and came at me before I could do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
She managed to stay on the bike and flee the scene, stopping two other cyclists to warn them.<\/p>\n
The puncture wounds on Dianne Noonan’s calf after she was attacked by a dog in Tauranga. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Despite a bleeding leg, Noonan cycled home before going to her doctor for a wound clean and antibiotics.<\/p>\n
She contacted the Tauranga City Council, and a dog ranger was sent to apprehend the dog.<\/p>\n
The dog ranger visited Noonan at home to lodge a formal report and identify the dog.<\/p>\n
\u201cI broke down. The identification of the dog triggered a post-traumatic response where I was very upset.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the council told her six weeks later the impounded dog had been released back its owner after a council investigation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat really upset me. I said, \u2018How can you just release it back to the owner?\u2019 He said there were provisions, but he wouldn\u2019t elaborate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dianne Noonan, 69, from Matua, was attacked twice in two separate incidents by dogs while cycling. Photo \/ Ayla Yeoman<\/p>\n
Noonan did not receive a formal apology or reimbursement for medical costs from the owner. She felt dismissed by the council and was disappointed in the way they handled the situation. <\/p>\n
\u201cI really feel that the law needs to change regarding what happens when a dog attacks a human. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems to me that dogs\u2019 lives have more value than humans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attack investigated<\/p>\n
Tauranga City Council animal services team leader, Oscar Glossop, said the council had repaired the fence, which appeared to have been damaged by cycleway users climbing over it as a shortcut.<\/p>\n
He would not reveal any other outcomes of the investigation on privacy grounds, including what consequences there were for the dog or owner.<\/p>\n
Generally speaking, for minor incidents, an owner would receive a warning, and for serious or repeat incidents, the owner can be prosecuted, and the dog impounded and euthanised.<\/p>\n
Glossop said the alternative actions may include classifying the dog as menacing or dangerous, together with a $300 fine.<\/p>\n
\u201cDog owners are responsible for keeping their dogs under control at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n
Second incident <\/p>\n
On October 16, four weeks after the first attack, Noonan was cycling a trail from Waih\u012b to Paeroa. <\/p>\n
She was attacked again by a pitbull cross. She managed to kick it off, but the dog bit her left shoe and continued to run alongside her.<\/p>\n
Noonan said the dog\u2019s owner managed to get it under control. Her $250 shoe was ruined, but she was relieved not to have been bitten. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy husband\u2019s a doctor, he said if that had been my foot, that would have been the bottom of my Achilles tendon.<\/p>\n
Dianne Noonan was cycling on a trail from Waih\u012b to Paeroa when a pitbull latched on to her shoe. Photo \/ Ayla Yeoman<\/p>\n
\u201cI proceeded to the police station in a distressed state to advise the police, who were then able to identify the dog and owner by a photo my husband had taken.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the dog and owner were known to police, who told her it had been involved in another incident a year earlier. <\/p>\n
\u201cI have been advised that the dog is allowed to remain at home in a fenced environment, is desexed and registered. It has to wear a muzzle when outside of the property.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the owners had given her a formal apology and offered to reimburse her for the shoes.<\/p>\n
A Hauraki District Council spokesperson said the dog had been classified as dangerous. <\/p>\n
Staff had visited the property and were satisfied the dog was securely housed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHauraki District Council works closely with owners to ensure they understand their responsibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n