A woman whose Jack Russell-chihuaha cross was viciously attacked at Altona dog beach is pleading with dog owners to act responsibly.
Kylie Herbert said she travelled from Hoppers Crossing to the beach up to seven days a week with her friendly little dog, Lala.
But on Monday of last week, things went horribly wrong.
“This dog just ran for my dog, sniffed her back and then just grabbed her by the shoulder blades and shook her around like a rag doll,” Ms Herbert said.
“Then the owner was trying to get the dog off; the dog let go, but it kept circling my dog.
“This lady [the other dog’s owner] had no qualms. It was like nothing happened. She didn’t care. She didn’t offer assistance. She didn’t apologise.
“When I finally caught my dog – because she was super scared – I saw how significant her injury was. You could see her muscle and the skin was flapping.
“Between her shoulder blades and down to where her shoulder blade ends, she’s got like a big hole left because the dog has gone in and torn skin from her muscle.
“The only thing that saved her was her being a little bit chubby, otherwise the dog would have torn muscle from bone … if it was a little bit lower, she would have potentially died because he would have punctured her lungs.”
Ms Herbert said Lala underwent emergency surgery at Altona Vet Clinic.
Before rushing to the vet, she had written down her phone number for the other dog’s owner. However, she hasn’t heard from her.
Ms Herbert is calling on dog owners to control their pets.
“If your dog shows aggression at any point towards another animal or a human being, even yourself being the owner, then I think you should take responsibility and effectively train the dog and train yourself to know when the dog is going to be or turn aggressive,” she said.
“Muzzle and harness your dog. There are great muzzles out there nowadays that aren’t those old-school cage things that look aggressive. Just think about that. Take responsibility.”
Dog attacks should be reported to Hobsons Bay council on 99321000.
