The victim of a "horrific'' Dunedin dog attack thought she was going to die as three Irish wolfhounds mauled her.
The woman, who was attacked about 6.30am on December 2, was discharged from Dunedin Hospital on Friday.
She spoke about her ordeal yesterday in an interview with the Otago Daily Times.
It came as the Dunedin City Council yesterday laid charges against the owner of three Irish wolfhounds - which are the tallest of all dog breeds.
The woman, who did not want to be identified, faces a long recovery after the attack, which happened as she was delivering the ODT in Walter St, in the Glen.
As she walked past them to deliver a newspaper, she waved and said "hello'' to the three dogs, who were with their owner.
At that point, a male dog "lurched out'' and bit her right arm, leaving her with a "horrific'' injury.
"He grabbed me and I thought'‘it might be just a bite', but it was more than that.''
Then "the other two took over as well'', with the dogs following her after she rolled down a bank.
The three dogs made noises, "like a pack of wolves'', as they attacked.
"It felt like I was going to die, because it was so horrific.
"I thought they were never going to stop,'' she said.
She remembered there being a lot of blood, screaming for help and asking the owner to use his belt as a tourniquet.
She did not recall the moment when the dogs stopped attacking.
"I don't know who took the dogs off, but they suddenly weren't there anymore.''
She was also unsure how long the attack lasted, saying it felt like "slow-motion'' at the time.
"It seemed like it went on forever.''
The attack left her with injuries over much of her body, with the most serious being to her right leg, where little remained of her calf muscle.
She also received bite injuries to her groin area and right arm, which required stitches, and to her left leg.
The attack was completely unprovoked, she said.
"I was just minding my own business, going past them.
"I didn't put my hand out to pat them.
"The male one just grabbed out at me and that's how it started.''
She had seen the dogs on her paper run previously, but they had never been aggressive towards her.
She remembers being in "excruciating pain'' and underwent two and a-half hours of surgery during which doctors opened up and cleaned her wounds.
On the Friday after the attack, she underwent a second round of surgery, which lasted five and a-half hours, where doctors performed a skin graft on her right leg.
She was heavily bandaged and still shaken yesterday, had little feeling in her right arm below her elbow and could not walk without the help of a specially designed boot, crutch and a walking frame.
The attack was still having a massive effect on her and she was not sure how much movement she would get back in her right leg.
She had also lost the income from the three jobs she had before she was attacked.
"I'm broke, I can't pay my bills.''
She was in the process of getting assistance from ACC.
Despite being viciously attacked, she had some sympathy for the owner after his three dogs were destroyed.
"The man's lost his dogs and I do feel for the man because I love animals.''
Her advice to other dog owners was to be vigilant, as all dogs were capable of violence.
Council communications and marketing manager Graham McKerracher said yesterday the council had laid charges against the owner under both section 57 (attack on a person) and section 58 (serious attack on a person) of the Dog Control Act 1996.
The owner of a dog that causes serious injury can face penalties of up to three years in prison or a fine of up to $20,000.
