A man was brutally attacked by a golden retriever in a park as he rescued his puppy from being mauled by the hound.
Jamie Nicholson was left needing stitches and a tetanus jab after the animal tore chunks from his hand in the incident at the Jock Stein Centre Park in Hamilton on Saturday, May 17.
The 30-year-old was walking his eight-month-old Rottador puppy, Bau with his partner when the golden retriever charged towards them, appearing intent on attacking the other dog.
Speaking to the Daily Record, Jamie said: "We were at a safe distance from any other dogs in the area before it bolted from one side of the pitch towards us.
"It ran up to my pup and within seconds, it started growling at him. It was absolutely huge - probably about twice the size of Bau.
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"When it attempted to attack him, my partner pulled our pup behind his legs so the Retriever couldn't get to him.
"It then lunged at my partner, pulled him to the ground and was on top of him. It was seconds away from sinking its teeth into my partner's face before I grabbed it by the harness to pull it back.
"As I did that, it sunk its teeth into my hands and wrist and I've been left with two punctures."
Blood spurted from the deep wounds, soaking his clothes and trainers, with images showing inch-deep punctures on his hands and wrists.
Jamie described the attack as "traumatic" and urged people to be aware that any breed of dog can become out of control.
He said: "It goes to show that it doesn't matter what breed the dog is, if it is out of your control, it has the potential to be aggressive.
"It was traumatic and terrifying - this dog was a family dog and that's what golden retrievers are known for as a breed.
"Dog owners need to be aware of their surroundings and others shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
"I'm a grown man and you can see the damage that has been done to me, a child wouldn't have stood a chance."
Jamie is now struggling with the aftermath of the attack, which has flared up his anxiety and left him nervous to leave the house.
"I already suffer from anxiety and struggle to leave my home on a normal day but this has really set me back," he said.
"I definitely don't want to go back to that park and if I do, it is going to take a lot of work. It's only five minutes from my home.
"I have been struggling to sleep and when I do, I will wake with a jolt in cold sweats and the first thing I do is look over to see if Bau is okay.
"If I hadn't stepped in, my pup and my partner could have been mauled. I will take the bites and punctures over that happening any day."
Police Scotland confirmed they are investigating the incident, with enquiries ongoing.
A spokesperson for the force said: “ On Sunday, 29 May police received a report of a dog attack from the previous evening in a park in Hamilton.
"One dog attacked another and an owner received a bite injury and attended Accident and Emergency.
"Enquiries are ongoing.”
