Crime & Law

‘It was brutal’: Pitbull terrier dies after attacking smaller dog in Limerick city

Garda sources say dog had been roaming loose in the area before attacking pet being walked by a woman and her son

Blood and scratch marks at the scene of an incident involving a loose bull terrier type dog in Castletroy, Limerick on Tuesday. Photograph: Brendan Gleeson

David Raleigh
Jennifer Bray
Wed Jun 26 2024 - 17:36

A dog described as a “pitbull -type” has died in Limerick after attacking a smaller dog who was being walked by a woman and her son.

A witness said he and others went to shield the woman and child from the dog after it had “savaged” their pet at about 7pm on Tuesday in an estate in Castletroy.

The witness, who asked not to be named, said the woman was “covered in blood” from the injuries suffered by her dog after she and another passerby tried to separate the animals. “Her dog had been viciously attacked and it’s back leg skin was missing, there was chunks taken out of its body.”

He said another man came to the woman’s aid and “just threw himself into this incident and he could have been savaged”.

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“He put himself in danger, it was brutal,” he said, adding it was a “lucky” that nobody was injured.

The aggressor died while being restrained by some of those who came to help, he said.

Garda sources confirmed that the “pitbull” type dog had been roaming loose in the area. The dog is understood to have been wearing a collar with a contact number for its owner on it.

A Garda spokeswoman said the force was alerted to an incident involving two dogs on Tuesday evening.

“A dog which was in the control of its owner was attacked by a second dog,” she said. “No persons were injured during the course of the incident. The dog which was attacked was seriously injured. Investigations are ongoing in relation to this matter. The offending dog is now deceased.”

It is the third known serious dog attack in Limerick in the last month. Nicole Morey was killed by her dogs in Fedamore on June 4th. Eight-year-old Jackson Flynn suffered serious facial injuries when he was bitten by a dog in a park on May 29th.

Limerick City Fine Gael TD Kieran O’Donnell, who attended at the scene on Tuesday night after being contacted by residents, said he wanted to “ensure that people feel safe, that dogs are kept under control and that everyone can go about to daily lives without fear”.

Members of an expert group established by Minister for Community Affairs Heather Humphreys to discuss the issue of dog control met on Wednesday. “The Stakeholder Group met this morning and discussed a range of issues in relation to dog control,” a spokesperson for the Minister said. “The Minister is now engaging with the chairperson of the Group in relation to the next steps.”

Jennifer Bray

Jennifer Bray

Jennifer Bray is a Political Correspondent with The Irish Times

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