Dog bite was 'all my fault'

The young woman who lost part of her lip after being bitten by a rottweiler said she wanted to meet the dog's owner so she can apologise to him.

Holly Prebble, 21, was bitten on the face while working at a pet-food promotion at the Animates pet store in Westgate on Friday.

She lost 40 per cent of her lower lip and received puncture wounds to her face and arms.

She spoke to the Herald on Sunday from her hospital bed in Middlemore. "[The owner] brought it in and I was giving it a few pats and asked if he wanted a treat. I patted him on the head and he bit me."

She said straight after the mauling she was in shock. She ran to the counter to use the phone to call an ambulance, leaving a trail of blood through the store. A friend rushed her to Waitakere Hospital then she was transferred to Middlemore.

She has had surgery twice and more was expected.

"That was my big mistake, I think. Apparently rottweilers don't like being patted on the head. There was no one to blame but me because it was an accident I caused. It was just one of those things that happened."

NZHerald: