An Edinburgh man hopes to warn other dog owners after a shock attack on his Staffordshire American Pitbull, Zac.
Tom Wyman, 37, was walking Zac after a day at work when the pooch was suddenly attacked by another dog at the junction of Constitution Street and Bernard Street. While the dog was left physically sound, Tom says he’s been an ‘anxious mess’ since.
The Leith man told Edinburgh Live that the owner of the attacking dog is ‘known’ throughout the area for being rude to people, and it may not be the first incident like this. Police confirmed they attended the attack, though enquiries established no criminality.
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While Zac was left unharmed, his owner says he's concerned the incident may have triggered the dog - after a similar attack that happened when he was just two-years-old.
Tom told us: “I finished work and left, as I normally do, to go on an adventure with the dog. I was heading along Salamander Street, towards the junction at Bernard Street where the Burns statue is.
“As I was at the junction, there was a rough looking guy with a huge American bulldog. It was off the lead, no harness, no collar.
“Zac, who is now nine-years-old, was on the lead and on his harness. Within two seconds of turning the corner, that dog clocked on to mine.
“The owner shouted after him, but the dog directly ran for Zac and started biting. My dog was defending himself, and I was trying to get it off him.
“The owner, who was clearly under the influence, struggled to do anything and was just shouting at the dog. I couldn’t pull it off Zac because there was nothing on him apart from his coat.
“A few people in the I Love Leith Facebook page have commented saying they saw the whole thing. A few people stopped and tried to help."
The attacking dog eventually calmed down, and while Zac was left physically unharmed Tom says he is still ‘shaken’ by the incident.
Police officers visited Tom a few days later, to get a statement from him on the attack. They informed him that this may not have been the first documented attack from this dog.
Tom continued: “Since then, my dog has been in a state of shock.
“He’s just very anxious about everything, and every noise gets him startled. My concern is, imagine it was a smaller dog or a toddler.”
When Zac was two-years-old, a similar incident happened where another dog got aggressive with him. Tom said it took years to convince the pup that other dogs could be friendly, and is concerned this may have reversed those years of work.
Tom said: “Over the last seven years, I’ve been trying to get him over what happened when he was two and let him know that other dogs are okay.
“He’s been a little on edge his whole life, but this thing has just ruined him. He’s not physically injured, but he’s been an anxious mess since last Wednesday.
“It only lasted about a minute, but it’ll affect him for his lifetime.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police in Edinburgh received a report of a dog-on-dog attack, which took place on the afternoon of Wednesday, February 15, 2023.
“Enquiries were carried out and no criminality established. The matter was passed to the local dog warden.”
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