Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Cops taser attack dog

AUSTRALIA -- A 14-YEAR-OLD girl and woman, 64, are lucky to be alive following a vicious and brutal dog attack on Monday afternoon in Emerald.

Teenager Katie Gaudman was mowing her front lawn on Loch St when two mixed-breed dogs that had escaped from their cages wandered on to the property.


Katie Gaudman, 14, and Alex
Lawrance, 15, who came to her aid.

What ensued was a haunting experience, involving two women and even an attending police officer being set on and bitten.

The two ferocious dogs were eventually subdued with the use of a police taser gun - one lay stunned on the ground and the other ran off, leading police to the owner's house.

"I went to shoo them away and they walked a bit and then came back and started barking and biting me. I was yelling for help but no one came," Katie said.

She was left with puncture wounds, scratches and grazes after numerous bites to her body.

It could have been a lot worse if Katie's cat didn't dart across the yard.

"(The dogs) saw my cat and chased after her. That's what saved me," Katie said.

She ran to 64-year-old Margaret Craig's front door, arriving tearful, bleeding and in fear for her life.

Margaret's grandson Adam answered and quickly set about patching her wounds while his grandmother called the council and notified Katie's mother, Alice.

"She was a mess, a complete physical mess, she was just sobbing her heart out," Margaret said.

Minutes later Alice and Margaret ventured down the road to see if they could save the cat, which was now being held hostage up a tree by the two blood-thirsty dogs.

As Margaret opened the car door one turned towards her and attacked, biting her twice on the leg before she managed to pile back in the vehicle.

"They were vicious, unbelievable," Margaret said.

"They looked as though they were possessed, as though they were on something.

"It was terrifying because they just didn't want to give up, they were going to take on everyone."

Margaret said the CHRC's animal control officers were contacted, and then police were called to assist.

Two officers attended and approached the dogs with their guns drawn.

One of the officers was bitten before they opted to taser one of the dogs. The other ran away, leading police back to its owner's home.

Both Margaret and Katie were taken to hospital by Queensland Ambulance Service. They were treated for minor injuries and given tetanus shots.

Margaret was also put on a drip, given oxygen and had a blood sample taken.

She said she had no ill feelings towards the owner, who she said apologised profusely and was distraught and shocked at the incident.

The dogs were euthanised yesterday with the owner's consent.

A CHRC spokeswomen said council officers were undertaking a full investigation of the "serious incident".

This is not the first time Margaret has fallen foul to vicious dogs.

Two years ago her 10-year-old cat, Puss, was killed by two attacking dogs in the middle of the night.

(Central Queensland News - Dec 14, 2011)