A woman was dragged into the road after her dog was allegedly attacked by a 'banned dog breed.'
The woman, who did not want to be named, was walking her dog near Thatto Heath Park, in St Helens on Saturday May 21. A dog described as a Staffordshire Bull Terrier attacked the family dog, a greyhound named Jamie, grabbing it by the throat.
A member of the family which owns Jamie told the ECHO: "An old-ish couple with two dogs were on the park with them off lead, the Staffy type dog ran straight over and got Jamie by the throat and dragged him and my mum into the middle of the road. My mum was on the floor and to be honest she's not got great health, I thought she was going to have a heart attack."
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Witnesses and Jamie's owner attempted to intervene. People driving by got out of their cars to help, and a young man attempted to free Jamie as the dog got a tight grip on his jaw, leaving the elderly dog seriously injured.
They added: "A young lad got my mum's walking stick and tried to prise its jaw open but it wouldn't let go, Jamie was screaming and everyone around who witnessed it was screaming and crying, the owner of the Staffy tried to open its jaws and it released Jamie for a second so Jamie ran off down St John's Street but the Staffy got free and got Jamie again, attacking his neck and legs, ears face and just hanging on Jamie's jaw."
The young man managed to eventually stop the dog's attack by 'jumping on it', freeing Jamie. Jamie suffered serious injuries including a fractured jaw and was taken to the vets for surgery.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: "Officers have seized a suspected pit bull breed following an incident near Thatto Heath park on Saturday 21 May. At around 1.35pm it was reported a woman had been bitten while attempting to restrain her suspected pit bull dog on Elm Road as it was attacking a greyhound.
"The suspected pit bull, which was off its lead, then ran off but was later secured by its other owner, a man in his 60s, on Crossley Road. The owner, a 60-year-old woman, sustained injuries to two fingers and was taken to hospital for treatment.
"The greyhound dog was taken for veterinary treatment for a broken jaw, fractured teeth and wounds to her back. Officers have seized the dog, which is believed to be a pit bull type banned breed. The owner will attend a police interview at a later date."
Community Policing Inspector Stacey Pope said: “This incident would have been traumatic for both the owner who sustained serious injuries to her fingers, and the owner of the greyhound who was left very distressed. Thankfully the suspected pit bull was caught a short time later before it could cause further harm to anyone else, and has now been seized.
“Merseyside Police takes such incidents seriously and will take any necessary action to keep our communities safe. We have a dedicated Sergeant who reviews all cases concerning dogs. Pit bull type dogs are a banned breed and classed as a dangerous dog. They are not designed to be family pets and pose a danger to the public.
"Anyone walking their dog in a public place should be aware of their dog’s behaviour and keep it on a lead if it is liable to be aggressive towards other park users – regardless of their breed. Anyone who witnessed this incident or with any information is asked to contact @MerPolCC on Twitter or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook with reference 22000349719.
"You can also call 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111. "
