Community unite for victim of dog attack

Seven-year-old Japanese girl Sakurako Uehara is being treated in Middlemore Hospital after being attacked by four mastiff-cross dogs while visiting a family friend at Murupara on Monday afternoon.

The owner of the dogs is understood to be good friends with the Ueharas and had given them vegetables he grew from his maara kai.

The Ueharas enrolled their daughter at Te Kura Kaupapa Motuhake o Tāwhiuau at the beginning of February for a month, then they were to head back to Japan to sort residency requirements, with plans to return in November.

“They came with the intention of just looking around but they came in and within a half an hour of them being here, they loved it,” said kura principal Pem Bird.

”When we heard this happened, we were just absolutely shocked by that,” said  Bird.

Rua Te Pairi, who worked with the dog owner, said: “People think these were big vicious dogs but they weren’t, they were small dogs – family pets.

“They were good owners, they were helping them (Ueharas) out, giving them kai and the families became fast friends.

“The girl’s mother teaches Japanese at the school and it’s good, my kids are learning fast.”

Tāwhiuau school held prayers for the family and the mood at the kura was sombre.

“Kids are resilient but they can feel it,” Bird said.

Sakurako, described by her principal as an angel, had a week long noho at Rangitahi marae and, far from being home-sick, she fitted right in, proving language to be no barrier.

Murupara had received bad publicity after the dog attack, with some residents using social media as a platform to speak about irresponsible owners.

“I hate hearing about this, it makes me so mad to know these dummies still let their dogs roam freely,” said a concerned resident.

“People need to be more aware of dogs in general – if you have kids or anyone for that fact on your property, tie [the dogs] up,” said a local.

Tom Oldridge, the local dog control officer since the 1980s, retired this week and the job position is still open.

Early childhood teacher Marie Foster said: “Most owners are responsible. There are a few that don’t care but that’s the same in every town.”

Bird talks about the family as he would his own and wants to show that the community are behind them, so he has organised an appeal.

“Our primary concern is that she pulls through,” he said.

“These dogs belong to a family and I know the family, they are good responsible people. They would be so, so devastated.”

Bird has no doubt the Ueharas will be supported by the community with offers for donations already coming through.

The Murupara Fire Brigade are organising a local appeal in unison with Tāwhiuau School, where funds will be used to support the Uehara family.

The first concern for the principal is the health of Sakurako and secondly the way in which the community and others may be affected.

“Exactly what happened, I don’t know, but the repercussions are beyond Murupara.”

• A version of this story appeared first in the Waikato Times