Dad 'ripped apart' by pack of dogs while on phone with horrified partner

Neville Thomson, 69, was caring for six dogs he removed from a friend's house in New Zealand after becoming concerned of their ferocity - but the pack turned on him and tore him to shreds

Neville Thomson, 69, was attacked by a pack of dogs he was keeping at his home on New Zealand's North Island

A woman has been traumatized after her partner was fatally 'ripped apart' by a pack of wild dogs while she was on the phone with him, according to her heartbroken family.

Neville Thomson, 69, was caring for six of his friend's dogs on his property in New Zealand's North Island when the pack mauled him to death.

Cops say there were about 25 dogs on Neville's property when the creatures pounced on him.

Stella Matthews, Neville's stepdaughter, said her mother was forced to listen to the ferocious pooches tear him to shreds.

Speaking to , Stella said her dad had hung up the phone but her mum could hear "fighting, screaming and growling".

"Apparently she was on the phone for 25-30 minutes," Stella added.

His stepdaughter Stella Matthews said he was on the phone with her mother at the time of the mutilation (

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1News)

Neville's daughter, Nataria Moore, said the horrific circumstances of her father's death left her family in pieces.

“We just survive,” she said.

"It's a shock. When I discovered it, I felt like the air had been taken from the room."

She said her dad - who had a "big heart" - was dogsitting to protect a pal from vicious pooches.

He had two of his own dogs with him at the time, who were locked inside and "were not involved at all".

Locals echoed the daughter's assessment of her father's character, calling...