Pup Mauled By Dog At Gozitan Beach With Owner Raising Alarm Over Irresponsible Owners
One woman is raising the alarm over proper dog safety and training in public areas after her small pup was mauled by another dog on a routine visit to the beach.
Jane*, her partner and her rescue dog, Elsa, were in Gozo when they decided to head down to Daħlet il-Qorrot for a quick morning swim.
Everything seemed to be completely normal, but Jane had noticed a group of bull terriers being kept without a lead or a collar by the sea. An animal lover by nature, she didn’t pay them much heed, having worked with dogs for the last 15 years.
Unfortunately, things took an ugly turn very quickly. One of the bull terriers made a sudden beeline for Jane and her dog while her partner was out swimming.
She panicked and tried her best to keep her dog out of the other’s reach. However, it was to no avail with the dog proving far too strong amidst all the commotion. Elsa suffered severe bites to her body, particularly on her legs.
“I was screaming as the bull terrier kept on biting my dog, the dog even managed to push mine down a hole. It was terrifying and I thought my dog could be killed,” she said.
“I tried my best, but I didn’t know what to do with everything that was going on. It’s not in my nature to be violent to dogs and the thought of attacking the dog aggressively didn’t enter my mind, and I didn’t even know how it would react.”
Worse yet, Jane was shocked about how the owners reacted, barely even noticing the horrific scene that was unfolding.
“When they came round and finally got the dog away they were more interested in passing off blame rather than actually deal with the scenario.”
But Jane’s attentions were purely focused on her dog and they rushed to stop the bleeding and take him to a vet.
No authorities were called, particularly because of the lack of service in Gozitan bay and because their sole priority was for their dog to get treatment.
Elsa managed to get surgery and is physically healing, but Jane has noticed a shift in character in her dog.
“She’s terrified to even leave the house at this point. She’s just so scared, it’s completely changed her,” she said.
Jane hopes that everything will be alright, but urged dog owners to be more responsible, particularly when they’ve got physically strong breeds, and they’re around others.
“Thankfully, Elsa is healing, but it could be far worse next time,” she said.
*Names have been changes to protect the individuals
What can be done to make sure dog owners are more responsible?
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