A professional dog walker tackled an out-of-control German Shepherd to the ground after it escaped from its owner and savaged his wife and dog.
Paul Jennings was out for a walk in Kingston-Upon-Thames town centre with his wife Sasithon and their Beagle Cody when they were set upon by the rogue canine.
The large German Shepherd lunged at Cody after breaking free from its owner, and bit Sasithon in the leg when she stepped in front of her dog to defend him.
CCTV clip shows Paul grappling with the beast and wrestling it to the ground to get it under control before the owner puts the lead back on their dog and walks off.
Sasithon was later taken to A&E by ambulance for a wound to her calf, where she was treated for four puncture wounds – and the next day was transferred to St George’s hospital for specialist treatment.
Paul said: ‘A lady was approaching us. She was about 10 metres away when her German Shepard spotted our dog.
‘It immediately started going berserk. She couldn’t control it and it broke free. I think she had a flimsy collar and lead – the type for a small dog.
‘It went straight for our dog. My wife tried to stand in the way and it bit her leg then I somehow grabbed and threw the dog and managed to pin it down around the neck.
‘I’ve no idea how I was not bitten. The owner then got the lead back on, and we hobbled around the corner.
‘We didn’t want to try and approach her again for fear of her dog and we were out of sight around the corner by this point so we didn’t get her details.’
The couple have said they don’t wish to press charges against the animal or its owner, but have expressed frustration at the police’s inability to track down the perpetrators nearly three weeks later.
Speaking to the Mirror, Paul said: ‘We don’t think she should face criminal charges but people who have powerful dogs need to have some training or they should have some kind of licence.
‘To drive a car you need to have training or else you can easily kill people on the road, but with dogs, it seems to be a free for all when you’ve got a deadly animal with you.’
Sasithon, a teaching assistant, said her first priority was to protect her dog, and didn’t realise the extent of her injuries until an ambulance looked at her wound.
‘I think if my leg was a baby or a child then it would have been much worse. I don’t want this to happen to a child or anyone else.’
Paul put an appeal on Facebook and has been notified of three sightings of the woman and her dog, with some reporting the dog had a muzzle on.
He said he was scared for Cody and only realised he was wrestling the attacking dog when he watched the CCTV clip.
The dog owner hasn’t come forward, neither has someone who knows her.
‘Police is investigating the incident. Enquiries continue. There has been no arrest,’ police spokesperson said.
