The 71-year-old man, who wishes to remain unnamed, was walking through Kilnamanagh with his eight-year-old Collie when they were attacked from behind by a pit bull – which, according to the family, went straight for their dog’s throat.
The wife of the man attacked told The Echo: “The pit bull was out on the road on his own and approached my husband from behind and went straight for our dog’s jugular.
“It was a frenzied attack and when my husband tried to pick up our dog, the pit bull went for his arms and hands and started to bite at his ankles.
“My husband is doing okay, he has a few puncture wounds from the pit bull, which are slowly healing, but he is pretty traumatized from the incident.
“However, it was touch-and-go for our dog, we thought she might have to lose a leg.
“She has injuries to all four legs, one of which is broken and another one was so badly bitten it had no skin left on it.
“She also has serious injuries on her neck and stomach and is very quiet.
“She’s on painkillers and antibiotics and the vet is monitoring her. . . we’re hopeful she’ll make a full recovery.”
The Echo understands that the pit bull, which had escaped from a house in the area, was reported to Gardaí at Tallaght, who contacted the dog warden. The warden arrived on the scene quickly and removed the pit bull.
“I’m a big dog lover and nobody wants to see any dog being picked up by the warden,” the woman said.
“However, this dog should have been properly secured at home, and when in public should be on a lead and muzzled.
“There were kids out playing when this pit bull was running wild – I think this should be a wake-up call to anybody with dogs.
“Dogs need to be restrained properly. Anybody with breeds like a pit bull must make sure that they cannot escape from the house and when out, they need to be muzzled. All dogs can be unpredictable but pit bulls won’t let go if they get a hold of something.
“People are responsible for their dogs and need to be aware of the potential danger their dog can pose to children and other dogs.”
When contacted by The Echo, a spokeswoman for South Dublin County Council confirmed that the pit bull had been put down following the attack.
She said: “On August 4 our Dog Warden service was alerted to an incident with a stray pit bull in [Kilnamanagh] by the local Gardaí.
“The location of the pit bull was established and it was seized in accordance with powers under the Control of Dogs Act 1986. The dog was subsequently euthanized on our instruction.”
(Echo IE - Aug 12, 2016)
