Six people including two children have been injured following a “bloody rampage” of two Alsatians “baying for flesh”.
The attacks happened on Monday 9th February at around 9am when parents were walking their children to school. The dogs are believed to have escaped from their home on Shakespeare Avenue, in the Horfield area of Bristol. They attacked two women outside the property and then progressed onto Filton Avenue, attacking pedestrians on the way.
Four ambulances from the Great Western Ambulance Service and a rapid response vehicle arrived at the scene: four victims were taken to Frenchay hospital, a fifth took themselves to hospital and a sixth was treated at the scene by an off-duty paramedic. A senior member of the ambulance staff said: “Quite quickly it was clear there were a several incidents within a few hundred yards of each other. Calls were coming through of dog bites and our crews en route had no idea of how serious the injuries were going to be – or if the dogs were still at the scene.” Thankfully none of the injuries were described as life threatening or serious. The victims were all believed to be pedestrians without any connection to the dogs. Among them were two girls aged 5 and 6, two boys aged 10 and 15, and two women aged 34 and 45. Karen, 45, was bitten twice on the forearm and bicep as she attempted to keep the dogs away from her daughter, but was unable to do so and six-year-old Keisha was bitten on her left leg. The attack occurred as they were walking to Upper Horfield Community School along their usual route up Shakespeare Avenue. Karen, who is profoundly deaf, started screaming and panicking: one neighbour described her as “hysterical”, but neighbours on the street took her inside, cared for her and called the emergency services. The 18-year-old neighbour knew she was deaf as she worked in the local shop where Karen sometimes goes, so she realised Karen wouldn’t be able to understand them. Karen wrote down her address and asked them to call her husband to tell him what had happened. At the hospital Karen had to have a tetanus jab and 2 stitches for the bites she received. Deeqa Ali, 36, was walking her 3-year-old son Faud and 5-year-old daughter Fartum to school when they were attacked. Fartum was bitten twice on her side, but it was through her clothing and she was not badly injured. A 15-year-old boy was chased around a car several times by the dogs before they caught up with him and bit him. He ran into the nearby Candy Shop where the dogs followed, however, the shop keeper, David Gillard, managed to chase the dogs out and slam the door after them. The teenager was bitten on the elbow and was bleeding badly so an ambulance was called.
Amber Pascoe was walking her 10-year-old son, Eli to school when Eli was attacked. Amber managed to fend the dogs off and Eli suffered only bruising as the bites had not punctured his clothes.
A 34 year-old woman was also said to have suffered puncture wounds which were treated in hospital.
Dog wardens were called to the scene and 40minutes after the attacks they managed to capture the dogs who are both now in police kennels. Their fate has yet to be decided by the court although there is a possibility that they will be destroyed. One witness recalls their capture: “I saw the police capture the dogs-both animals were leaping around and growling, but police dog handlers had snared them on long poles.”
A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said that a 30-year-old man from Bristol had been arrested under the Dangerous Dogs Act concerning the attacks. The tenants of the house from which the dogs escaped, was identified by neighbours but the tenants refused to comment. Some reports claimed that they threw snow and even part of a toy pushchair at reporters and photographers. The 30-year-old man is believed to be Ruskin Grove; he was held in police custody but has since been released on bail although police investigations continue. A neighbour commented: “I’ve been here for two years and I have never seen these two dogs taken out for a walk by their owner”.
A comment has been posted in response to a local newspaper article on the attacks, by a man claiming to be the dogs’ owner saying that he was “taking full responsibility” for the Alsatians actions which were out of character. It went on to say: “I would just like to say I am deeply sorry to those people that were bitten by my dogs today”. One of the victims commented that the owner was “very lucky” that nobody had been killed and that all dogs should be muzzled.
This attack occurred just two days after the 3 ½ month-old baby, Jaden Joseph Mack, became the fourth child to be killed by dogs in 30months, when he was mauled to death while he slept.
