Australia: Palm Beach woman and her Schnauzer mauled by pit bull

AUSTRALIA -- A Palm Beach woman and her dog were hospitalized after being attacked by a neighbor's American Staffordshire terrier (aka pit bull) two weeks ago.

Sandy Slessar said she was walking her miniature schnauzer, Zac, with a friend on Wednesday night, January 20, when she saw the dog ahead.

“The lead was trailing behind, I said to my friend ‘I don’t like that dog, I think it’s dangerous’ — it had charged at me a few months ago,” she said.

Ms Slessar said she picked up her dog from the ground and the next thing she knew the terrier was on top of her.

“It tried to savage my dog that was in my arms,” she said. “I fell down, put my arms up above my head and then it started biting my arm.”

Ms Slessar said the bites created deep punctures.

“The bites pierced my elbow,” she said.

Ms Slessar’s friend managed to pull the terrier off her. “But then it lunged again and grabbed Zac and locked it in its jaw,” Ms Slessar said.

Ms Slessar said at one point, she thought her schnauzer was dead.

“He had gone completely limp,” she said.

A friend then helped her lift the terrier’s legs up as a distraction.

“I was told a way to deal with dog attacks was to pick their back legs up,” she said.

Ms Slessar said the terrier finally let the dog go.

“I didn’t know how badly injured he was, there was so much saliva,” she said.

Ms Slessar said Zac sustained injuries to his neck and left ear and was operated on the next day.

A Pittwater Council spokesman said the council was aware of the incident and that officers had interviewed witnesses and taken statements.

The terrier’s owner – who did not want to comment – was issued with a notice of intention to declare the dog dangerous by the council.

Since issuing this notice, the council spokesman said: “The owner of the dog has made representations ... these representations will receive careful consideration prior to council determining whether or not to proceed with the dangerous dog declaration.”

This is the second recent dog attack to hit the peninsula.

In January, a bull mastiff- cross attacked and killed a chihuahua and then turned on its owner.

A Warringah Council spokesman confirmed the dog had been declared dangerous.

If a dog is declared dangerous, the owners must ensure it is kept in an enclosure that will restrain the dog and prevent a child accessing it.

When the dog is out, it must be on a leash and in the control of a competent person. They cannot be under 18. It must also have a muzzle securely fixed on its mouth.

(dailytelegraph.com.au - Feb 3, 2016)