A woman who took her dog to the park on a sunny Saturday morning expecting to have a nice day out saw things take a scary turn for the worse when she was attacked by a long-haired border collie.
While queueing up outside a cafe for an ice cream after a walk with her puppy Reggie on Saturday, April 29, Jucena Ali noticed another dog making its way over to them. She said there were lots of dogs and children outside the busy cafe in Cwmdonkin Park so she'd put her dog on a lead. But, although the approaching dog had a lead attached to its collar, there was no-one holding it at the time.
"You can always tell by a dog's body language what's going to happen," said Jucena, from Mount Pleasant, Swansea, who explained that she used a baby voice to greet the dog before moving her own dog, who is a short-haired border collie, from her left side to her right.
Read more: What's happening at Mumbles as major construction work begins on the seafront
The 27-year-old said the other dog's hackles went up and as soon as she moved her "emotional support dog" Reggie out of the way. The long-haired border collie bit her once on the arm before biting her a second time and shaking its head from side to side slightly while her arm was in its mouth before letting go. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
"Because I screamed in pain, I think that's when the owner decided to take the dog off me. The owner's used to it because the amount of times that dog has come up to me and my dog to try and attack him," said Jucena. "I felt something warm trickling down my arm so I lifted up my sleeve and there was blood squirting everywhere," she said.
Jucena had two bite marks on her arm, one was small but the second was "not wide but very deep" and caused her sharp pain. "The fatty tissue of where it bit me was hanging out and it was gross," she added.
A nearby woman grabbed Jucena's arm and applied pressure to it to try and stop the bleeding. "There was blood dripping down my arms and down my fingers and my poor dog was covered in my own blood," she explained. Jucena, who experiences anxiety, then started hyperventilating from the "sheer shock" of the incident but was supported by kind strangers who gathered around her.
"I'm so grateful for the lovely community here. The amount of people who came to aid me, I was so touched by how loving this community is. I've felt like an outsider because I've had quite a few racial slurs since moving to Swansea but the way they made me feel was so amazing," she said.
Jucena said witnesses confronted the owner of the dog who had attacked her, but things went from bad to worse when the owner began to swear at them. On her feelings towards the incident, Jucena explained: "It's not the dog's fault. It's the owner's responsibility. Border collies are very smart and they need a lot of attention and a lot of activities. If you're failing to provide the amount of activities they need, they get agitated and angry."
"Could you imagine if a child had been bit, it would have been way worse. It could have been a broken arm or a ruined face and as a child when you witness something like that it creates fear. I don't want anyone to be scared of dogs because they're such loving, loyal companions. But if you don't give them the requirements they need, they can become nasty," she said.
Following the attack, Jucena said she felt sick and dizzy and a server at the cafe bandaged her arm up for her. Not wanting to leave her dog alone while she went to the hospital, she went home first before calling 111. Jucena then got a taxi to the Minor Injuries Unit in Neath Port Talbot on Saturday evening and was then referred to Morriston Hospital. She went home to look after Reggie overnight and then visited the hospital the following morning.
While she was waiting for a doctor to assess her, the room started to fill up with staff and other patients. Jucena said her anxiety could be worsened by being in busy rooms and when she went to stand up to go to the toilet she fainted. Doctors kept her in hospital for six and a half hours on Sunday after the incident and Jucena said she went for another check-up on Tuesday and, although there is no infection, the area now feels numb.
"I'm really scared to go to Cwmdonkin now and I'm currently really scared of any dogs coming up to me or my pup. I don't want people to say all dogs should be on leads. You just need to be closer to your dog and pay more attention to its body language."
Read next:
- Headteacher who had affair with pupil's mother says he'll regret his actions for the rest of his life
- Au Vodka has opened a pop-up bar in Swansea's Wind Street
- Man charged with preventing a lawful and decent burial
- Woman, 32, loses breast and is left with hump after flying to Turkey for surgery
Teenager assaulted and robbed of laptop, police issue image of suspect on rental bike
