An autistic man who received multiple injuries after he was attacked by rottweilers in Southland yesterday was rescued by a neighbour and a "brave" off-duty police officer.
Oliver Beaumont, 22, was taking a walk near his family's home in Great North Road, Winton, when the pair of dogs attacked around 1pm, the Otago Daily Times reports.
Annie Burazor, Mr Beaumont's neighbour, grabbed a knife to confront the rottweilers after she was alerted to the attack by her step-daughter.
By then Mr Beaumont was "completely covered in blood" but "there was no loud screaming," Ms Burazor said.
Ms Burazor was able to prevent the dogs from mauling the man for brief periods but was unable to scare the dogs off until an off-duty police officer arrived.
When the neighbour gave the officer the weapon, the officer "made himself big and yelled at the dogs", driving them away from Mr Beaumont.
Ms Burazor described the police officer as "brave".
Ms Burazor then took the injured man to her home, where she attended to his wound.
He received gashes to his face and puncture wounds on his arms, the neighbour said.
Mr Beaumont's father, Chris, praised his "extremely brave" neighbour's actions after the dogs "opened his head up".
He is currently recovering in Southland Hospital after having surgery yesterday night.
The owners of the dogs are "upset by what has happened" and are assisting police and the council with the investigation, police said.
Both of the dogs responsible for the attack are with the council, a police spokeswoman said.
The outcome of the dogs, and whether the dogs' owners will be charged, will be decided by the council.
"The sorts of things that are relevant are establishing the facts of the situation in terms of exactly what happened, and also the attitude of the dog owners - all those things are taken into account when we are assessing the appropriate enforcement action," Southland District Council's Bruce Halligan said.
"We have real sympathy for the victim and are hoping that he has a speedy recovery."
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