Wellington, Nov 13 NZPA - The owner of eight pig dogs which attacked a Waikato woman while she was out jogging has escaped a jail term.

Putaruru dairy farmer Margit Christensen, 36, was out running on August 3 when she was set upon by the young bull terrier-cross pack on a rural road not far from her home.

Police sought jail time for dogs' owner Tara Tuhakaraina, 29, who instead was sentenced to three months' home detention and 200 hours' community work when she appeared in Tokoroa District Court today, 3News reported.

She admitted eight counts of owning a dog causing injury.

Victim impact statements from Mrs Christensen and her husband Sven said they bore no grudge towards Tuhakaraina. They had also owned pig dogs but Tuhakaraina had just not trained hers properly.

She was guilty of lack of knowledge and laziness rather than something intentional, the Christensens said.

Earlier, Mrs Christensen said that during the attack she thought the dogs would kill her.

She said she felt the dogs biting into the back of her neck, her scalp, her ear, and knew it wouldn't take long for them to get to her throat.

She instinctively curled into the foetal position to protect herself as they continued the attack.

Mrs Christensen said she thought it was about 15 minutes before the dogs were called off by their owner.

Her husband Sven, who arrived at the scene before emergency services, described finding his wife as a "big blob of blood".

Hospital staff said Mrs Christensen's injuries were the most extensive and extreme they had seen from dog bites.

She had an initial nine hours of reconstructive surgery and subsequently six skin grafts. She has recovered well but may still require further surgery.

The dogs have been destroyed.

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