Shaun Banks was left with a chunk of flesh ripped from his arm and bite marks after being attacked by a large dog, believed to be a bull mastiff.
The 21-year-old from High Spen, Gateshead, was walking with his girlfriend at nearby Derwent Haugh Park when the ferocious dog set upon the couple’s Cocker Spaniel cross poodle, Alfie.
Shaun was immediately taken to hospital and has had to undergo plastic surgery to repair the damage to his arm. He has also been left with suspected nerve damage and lacerations to his stomach.
Today, girlfriend Anna Baker, 22, told how her “hero boyfriend” stepped in when the animal started attacking her helpless pet.
The primary school teacher who lives in Rowlands Gill said: “It was just awful and all I can remember is screaming when the dog went for Alfie.
“Shaun jumped in and picked up Alfie but the mastiff started attacking him instead. He was shouting “It’s got a hold of me!”
“I started hitting the dog and eventually it let go of Shaun. Soon after, I went into a state of shock. I can’t believe how brave Shaun was, it was a really heroic thing for him to do. That dog would have easily killed Alfie and probably caused me serious injuries if he hadn’t stepped in.”
Anna immediately called an ambulance for Shaun and reported the dog’s owner to the police.
During the ordeal, Anna said the vicious dog’s owner made off, leaving Shaun in severe pain and suffering from serious blood loss.
“I can’t believe she just called her dog off and ran away in the opposite direction,” said a distraught Anna.
“We were clearly in a lot of distress and she just couldn’t get away fast enough. She left with that dog and another presumably belonging to her. Not stopping is just disgusting and having no control over vicious dogs and allowing them to be off their leads in public places is sick.
“She needs to be caught - what if the same happens to someone with a small child? The results could be terrifying. I am now so scared to go outside to walk our dog knowing she is still out there with that beast.”
Anna has described the woman as being white and in her early to mid 40s. She was slim build with long, dark brown hair. Her dogs are believed to be large, bull mastiffs and are both ginger in color.
A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: “At just after 5pm on Friday, August 15, police received information that a man had been bitten by a dog at Derwent Walk in Rowlands Gill, Gateshead.
“It happened at 4.45pm, when a man aged 21 was walking his dog. It was attacked by another dog, described as a ginger colored bull mastiff type, which wasn’t on a lead.
“The victim tried to pull the dog away from his own dog and was bitten in the process, causing injuries which required hospital treatment.
“The dog was with a woman described as aged about 40, white, with long dark hair who also had a second dog of similar breed. They walked off towards Rowlands Gill after the incident.”
Any witnesses to the incident or anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 ext 69191, quoting reference 889 15/08/14, or Crimestoppers anonymously 0800 555 111.
(ChronicleLive - Aug 18, 2014)
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