WARNING: This story contains graphic content that may distress some readers. 

A South Auckland mother-of-six says she feared she would die in front of her children after a vicious daylight attack by three stray dogs. 

Trudy Lee, 35, suffered several serious injuries in the mauling in Manurewa about 1.30pm on Sunday. The rogue pit bulls even ripped open her skull to expose her brain. 

Speaking to the Herald from Middlemore Hospital, Lee said she was taking her own dog for a walk when she entered Totara Rd – about 100 metres from her property - and saw three large dogs bounding toward her. 

“I didn’t realise they were coming for me. My dog managed to get out of her collar because they were ready to attack her and she ran home,” Lee said. 

The dogs mauled Lee and pulled her to the ground, one latching onto her arm, another to her leg and the final one onto the top of her head. 

“They tore tendons out of my arm... They were pretty much trying to rip me apart.” 

Lee screamed at the top of her lungs, catching the attention of multiple nearby residents who rushed to her aid and tried to stop the bleeding once the dogs had stopped mauling her and fled. 

“I was trying to hold everything together,” Lee said. 

The three pit bulls mauled South Auckland mother Trudy Lee and pulled her to the ground, one latching onto her arm, another to her leg and the final one onto the top of her head, inflicting serious injuries. 

“[The attack] felt like ages because of the intensive damage they’ve done to me.” 

It felt like an eternity before an ambulance arrived at the scene, as she was “bleeding out on the street”. 

“I was just trying to survive... What was going through my mind is that I didn’t want to die. I was getting terrified that I was going and I didn’t want to go. I thought I was going to die on that footpath. 

“I was looking up at my daughter because my kids were in front of me. They were in shock, they’ve never seen their mum like that.” 

Lee was rushed to Middlemore Hospital in a serious condition. Blood transfusions were performed on her inside the ambulance, she said. 

She underwent surgery on Monday to reattach part of her skull and had multiple skin grafts taken to replace all the open wounds her body suffered in the attack. She says she was injured “from head to toe” and is set for further procedures in the coming days. 

Lee said her skull was ripped open in the attack, exposing her brain and she was "bleeding out on the street”. 

She underwent a six-hour surgery on Monday to reattach part of her skull and faces multiple more procedures. 

Lee said it took her a few days to sleep, because she was scared she wasn’t going to wake up. 

“It is very lucky that I’m alive... I’m sitting in hospital, still in pain, still in shock. I don’t wish this upon anybody.” 

Lee said it was her second walk of the day with her dog and she would normally take her daughters – aged 8 and 9 – with her. 

“They didn’t come with me on this walk but they were only 20 or 30 metres away from me. It could’ve been my daughters.” 

She said multiple children were walking the street at the time of the attack, which occurred in close proximity to two schools: Manurewa South School and Manukau Christian School. 

“My daughters walk that same path and the school is only 50m from where this attack happened. 

Lee says she is lucky to be alive, but may never be the same person again. 

“Now they’ve had a taste for human, I feel that these dogs are going to attack even more and could possibly take someone’s life. They were very close to taking mine. 

“We need to raise awareness about these stray dogs in Manurewa so it never happens to a child or elderly person.” 

Lee acknowledged it was going to be a long recovery road – and she might never be the same person again. 

“I don’t think I’ll be able to walk out on the street alone anymore... This was a traumatic event that I went through,” she said. 

A Givealittle page set up for Lee said she needed “urgent support” for multiple surgeries and to help her six children. 

A police spokesperson said they attended the incident on Sunday and supported Animal Management. 

Auckland Council confirmed all three dogs were impounded and euthanised after the attack. 

Councillor Daniel Newman told the Herald he was not aware of this particular attack, but the number of dog incidents in his Manurewa-Papakura Ward was “both alarming and unacceptable”. 

“The dogs in this case, once caught, need to be destroyed. Dog attacks are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.” 

Newman said more resources were being allocated to increase Auckland Council’s Animal Management response and there had been a “huge spike” in the number of dogs going into the council’s shelters – many of which were euthanised. 

“The only enduring solution will need to be an extensive and ongoing programme of desexing dogs – over and above seizure and destruction – as one bitch in heat can account for several thousand dogs over several years noting multiple litters and the risk of uncontrolled management of feral animals in the community.” 

In 2023 there were almost 15,000 new dog bite-related ACC claims – a 10% increase on 2022 when there were 13,326. 

The Herald last month revealed homeowners in the South Auckland suburb of Totara Park had been terrorised by a pack of three to four roaming dogs belonging to a Mongrel Mob-affiliated property that had killed and maimed beloved pets and livestock in their own backyards. 

Residents said at least 31 animals had been killed and a further nine mauled in the prior six months. 

A Mongrel Mob spokesperson denied that any dogs lived on the property permanently and said the claims were “incorrect”. 

Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.