Woman, 67, suffers serious dog bite in Cardiff park trying to save puppy from pit bull attack

UNITED KINGDOM -- A dog walker has suffered severe bite wounds and seen her beloved pet killed in an horrific pit bull attack in a public park, just yards away from a busy children’s play area.

Elaine Seaborne, 67, from Lansdowne Road in Canton, Cardiff, was walking her 20-week-old Jack Russell terrier  in Victoria Park at approximately 2.15pm on Saturday, when they were confronted by a large pit bull dog,  which appeared without its owner.

Elaine tried to intervene as the pit bull went for her small puppy Jessie, but was forced to the ground and was attacked herself, sustaining severe bite wounds from her fingers down her forearm.

The attack took place inside the park, near its entrance on Cowbridge Road East, just yards away from a children’s play area, which was described as a “busy” scene on this particular weekend afternoon.

Elaine’s efforts to help her beloved pet were in vain, as the dog died from the injuries it sustained.
Elaine was taken to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, where she received antibiotics and tetanus shots for wounds on her right arm.

The pit bull was seized by South Wales Police, which currently is searching for its owner.
Elaine said: “My dog was on a lead and we were walking in the park.

“All of a sudden there was a very loud bark. I saw the dog on its own. It was wagging its tail – it looked playful and friendly at first.

“Out of nowhere it just attacked, and it was horrific. It forced me to the ground and I screamed for help. Then someone shouted and it backed off.

“My priority now is to see the dog put down. Imagine if it had got hold of a young person, because a child would have been defenseless.  And it happened just 20 yards from the children’s play area.”

Shane Harrison, 54, Elaine’s partner and a lorry driver by trade, added: “At the hospital, the nurse said Elaine’s injuries were the nastiest from a dog attack that she has seen for several years.

“They are bad, bad wounds. Elaine was wearing a coat, a jumper and gloves and the dog’s teeth pierced through them all.

“It was a powerful animal and a vicious attack. Elaine couldn’t have stitches because the wounds would be more likely to become infected, so she has to wait for them to heal under bandages.”

Chief Inspector Bob Nicholls of South Wales Police appealed for information in order to trace the dog’s owners.

In a police statement he said: “At 2.38pm on Saturday, November 23, South Wales Police responded to a report of a serious dog bite in Victoria Park, Cardiff.

“A lady sustained serious injuries to her forearms requiring treatment in hospital after being attacked by a dog that had attacked and killed her own dog in the park.

RIP Jessie

“The dog responsible has been seized by police officers however the owner is yet to be identified. The dog seized by police is described as being of a ‘Pit-bull’ type appearance and is a distinctive blue-grey in colour.”

South Wales Police is appealing for the owner of the dog to come forward.

It is also interested to speak to anyone who believes they know the identity of the owner, or anyone with information about the attack itself.

South Wales Police can be contacted on 101, or members of the public can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting occurrence number 62130368937.

(Wales Online - Nov 24, 2013)