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Man, 95, forced to have beloved pet put down after attack by six dogs

An elderly man was devastated after his best friend, a beloved fox terrier cross, was put down after the pair were set upon by a pack of dogs.

Jim Morgan, 95, had been walking his pet Sandy near his home on Sunday morning in Kaikohe, on New Zealand’s north island, when half a dozen dogs grabbed Sandy by his shoulder and back leg, the New Zealand Herald reports.

At first it was thought Sandy might be able to survive the injuries if his leg was amputated, but the dog was put down on Monday morning.

Mr Morgan, who is described as nearly blind, was knocked to the ground during the attack and sustained bruising, but is now grieving the loss of his closest companion.

He would take Sandy, who was 12, for a number of walks each day.

A pack of dogs grabbed onto the elderly man’s pet by a rear leg and shoulder. The dog could not survive its injuries and had to be put down. Source: Newshub
A pack of dogs grabbed onto the elderly man’s pet by a rear leg and shoulder. The dog could not survive its injuries and had to be put down. Source: Newshub

The pack of dogs had been off-leash at the time of the attack, according to the New Zealand Herald.

It is believed they were being exercised by a man who had been riding a blue quad bike.

A disabled neighbour had heard a noise “like dogs hunting”, so she got on her mobility scooter and went outside where she saw Mr Morgan on the ground surrounded by the pack, Newshub reports.

But she could not assist him so she called another neighbour named Cynthia Moran.

”By the time my husband got there the dogs had gone and Jim had got himself up,” Ms Moran told the New Zealand Herald.

“We took him home, called police and animal control, then took them to the after-hours vet in Kerikeri.”

Ms Moran said the elderly man lived for his dog and she had to pass on the devastating news that his beloved pet would not make it.

“I just put my arms around him and I hugged him, and I told him he had to let Sandy go,” Ms Moran told Newshub.