Pet owner speaks of dog attack '˜nightmare'

The woman was taking her pet dog ‘Rocky’ out a walk on a lead along a field near the Magowan Park area of Creggan last Tuesday evening when three Pitbull-type dogs attacked him.

‘Rocky’ sustained horrific wounds to his head and body, and the woman said he would have stood no chance of surviving had she left him during the attack. If the Pitbulls had attacked a child or a smaller dog, she added, they would have been killed.

Sinn Fein Councillor Colly Kelly has said he has contacted the Dog Warden regarding the episode and an investigation has now been launched.

‘Rocky’s’ owner said she got the six-years-old dog from the Rainbow Rehoming Centre in November. “His owner died when he was three and then whoever had him, their circumstances changed. Nobody wanted him- he has a wee pin in his leg and requires medication every day, but we are just mad about him, he is part of our family now.”

Describing what happened, she said: “I was walking him down the field on the lead and these dogs just kept coming at him. The three of them were at him at the one time. They just mauled him; they wanted to kill him. I was squealing and I thought, ‘I’m not leaving here’. I dropped my phone, didn’t know what to do, but I knew if I left to get help they would kill him. It was a nightmare.”

The woman said the person with the dogs actually had to sit on one of them as she tried to get herself and ‘Rocky’ to safety, but one of the other attack dogs kept following. “Thank God the neighbours had heard me squealing and took us to the vet’s,” she said. At the vets, ‘Rocky’ was immediately put under general anaesthetic and received numerous stitches to various wounds. He is also now on antibiotics. “He is lucky to be alive. The cartilage in his ears is damaged, and he has numerous puncture wounds,” his owner said.

Because of the trauma suffered, Rocky will now have to be taken on one-on-one training classes, and is house bound until he heals.

The woman said one of the dogs had previously also attacked Rocky as her child was taking him a walk on the lead to the shop. Again the same dog was off the lead. “If this had been a wee dog it would have been ripped to shreds, they would have eaten it for breakfast,” his owner said. “Something has to be done because I wouldn’t want anyone else to experience that. My dog hadn’t a chance.

“If this had been any child in the street, any cat, any wee dog, they would have been killed.”