WARNING, THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS DISTRESSING IMAGES
A man staggered for help cradling his badly mauled and bloodied pet dog after a savage attack from a larger animal.
John O’Neill told the ECHO he was walking Tess, a nearly nine year old Cavapoochon, at Town Park in Runcorn when he heard a shrieking scream and felt a tug on the lead as Tess was leapt on from behind. Describing the attacking dog as a “vicious creature”, he said the animal sank its teeth into Tess' rear.
As he watched in horror, the larger dog appeared to be “ripping her apart” in its maw “like a rag doll”. Mr O'Neill said he had to prise the larger, attacking dog’s jaws from around his beloved pet's throat and scoop Tess up to his shoulder.
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As the 75-year-old stepped in to save Tess, he said he was bitten on the hand and wrist on both sides as he wrenched to release the bigger dog’s grip. As Tess crawled to safety, he kept the attacking dog held in place.
He said that when he asked another man with a dog for help, the man's answer was “they won’t do anything, it’s dog on dog”.
Mr O’Neill said the man produced his phone and instead of calling the police or an ambulance rang someone and said “you better get round here, there’s s*** going on”. Another man appeared, put a lead on the larger dog and they “ran off” towards Palacefields.
Mr O’Neill, who was “lying in blood on the floor”, stood up and carried Tess to Main Street, telling the ECHO: “I thought I was carrying a corpse.”
He was “struggling” to use his phone because of the blood on his hands - one of which was “full of holes” - smearing the screen Luckily, he said two passing teenagers stopped and called the police for him. Then a couple with a dog, and a woman drove Mr O’Neill and Tess to the emergency vets, where she was stitched up and treated, accruing bills of £4,000.
Mr O’Neill had to go to Halton Hospital for his own wounds to be treated, and where he continued to call the vets to check on Tess. He said the marks still show where he was bitten, adding “the nerves have gone” in one of his fingers.
Mr O’Neill made a statement to the police a few days later, and he said Halton Borough Council has shown interest in investigating the matter. He branded the men “cowards” for fleeing the scene.
Mr O’Neill spoke to the ECHO on Tuesday by phone and at his home in Runcorn, where Tess continues to recover.
He told the ECHO: “I’m 75. They didn’t care a jot what was going on. Any other person would not have got out of that situation. It was only my fitness that helped me. That's the thing that really bugs me. I was lying in blood on the floor and their reaction was just to run off. That’s what’s really galling me.”
He added: “They are cowards. These people must have grandfathers and mothers. What would they do if it was their grandfather or grandmother. That kind of shows the kind of personality they are.”
The incident happened on November 22. Mr O'Neill was initially unable to provide a statement to police as he had to take Tess to the vets and head to hospital but was able to in the days following.
A Cheshire Constabulary spokesman told the ECHO: "At around 10.20am on November 23 police were contacted in relation to a dog attack at Town Park, Runcorn.
"The caller reported that they were walking their dog through the park when another dog, which was not on a lead, came over and started biting their dog.
"The victim managed to pick up their dog, and during the process they were bitten on their hand and wrist. An unknown man then collected the other dog and ran off towards Palacefields.
"Enquiries in relation to the incident are ongoing and officers are working closely with Halton Borough Council."
Anyone with any information about the incident is urged to contact Cheshire Police online at www.cheshire.police.uk/tell-us or by calling 101, quoting IML 1418891.
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