A little dog has suffered broken bones and a punctured lung after being savaged by a Siberian husky on the beach at Papamoa.

Local resident James Davis says his mother and stepfather were returning from the beach with their lapdog Charlie on Saturday, when she was attacked by the husky at the Hartford Ave beach access.

James, who had gone home earlier, says he received a call that afternoon asking him to bring the car down, as Charlie had been attacked.

'We had to drive around to find an emergency vet, but it was after 5pm and no one was open,” he says.

'We managed to see a vet at Bayfair who said the surgery was too extensive and it was better to get treatment in Auckland.”

His mum and stepdad, who do live in Auckland and wanted to return home, drove there to find someone who could treat Charlie at such short notice. The little lapdog is currently recovering at a clinic in Albany.

'She probably won't be out until the end of this week. She had a punctured lung, six broken ribs and a lot of bruising, and is on a drip for painkillers and antibiotics. She also has a tube in her chest draining fluid. So it wasn't a little nip – she's lucky to be alive.”

It's not unusual for dogs to sometimes have a go at each other, but what makes this attack so shocking, says James, is the nonchalant attitude from the husky's owner.

'She was just screaming abuse, and that it was my mum and stepdad's fault for walking too close to her husky. She made no effort to get her dog off Charlie, and afterwards she just sat back down again on the beach.”

James rung the council on Saturday to lodge a complaint, and followed it up in writing yesterday. But as they don't have the woman's details, he thinks it is unlikely there will be any sort of outcome.

Although people are free to walk their dogs on the beach at Papamoa, Tauranga City Council's website suggests people have a lead with them and attach it if they are approaching another dog, animal or person.

'It's your responsibility to ensure you have control of your dog at all times.

'Owners of dogs that attack may be prosecuted, which can lead to a fine or even imprisonment for serious attacks. Dogs that attack may be euthanised.”