Gerald Piper's dog Ozzy died after the attack in Tredegar Park

1:10pm Friday 2nd November 2012 in News By Keiligh Baker

Gerald Piper Gerald Piper

AN 18-MONTH-OLD puppy was savagely killed by two dogs and its owner left with cuts to his head and hands after he tried to stop the attack.

Gerald Piper, 69, from Maindee, Newport, took his 18-month-old Yorkshire terrier-poodle cross Ozzy to Tredegar Park on Friday night for a walk.

He said: "We went to the park at 5.30pm which we do at least half a dozen times a week. As I parked up I noticed a small white hatchback in the car park, with two dogs on leads standing outside it.

"When I let him out, Ozzy ran over to them, because he's very friendly and loves meeting other dogs.

"But when he got close to them they got hold of him and basically ripped him apart. It was terrible to see.

"They went for me as well as I was trying to get them off him, and cut my hands and head.

"I took him straight to the vet and he needed 40 stitches. He died on Monday night because one of the wounds had become infected. I've had to go for a tetanus jab now."

Mr Piper said the dogs which savaged Ozzy were black and looked like pitbulls.

He added: "To be fair, their owner did try to help me get them off Ozzy. But once we got them off he concentrated on calming them down while I got Ozzie wrapped in a blanket and rushed him to the vet.

"It was very upsetting."

Rachel Hawkins, a vet at Alpha Vets in Risca said: "Ozzy's injuries were very severe. Two thirds of his body was covered by a wound.

"I've never actually seen injuries as severe as that. Ozzy was only a small, 5 kilo dog and the injuries were extensive. His body went into toxic shock and died, and we were all very sad to lose him."

A Gwent Police spokeswoman said: "Anyone with any information about this incident should call 101."

Comments(9)

ccc49 says...
4:55pm Fri 2 Nov 12

I've said it once and I will keep repeating it until someone listens. All dogs should be muzzled in a public space. It causes no distress to the animal but best of all it is unable to maul anyone who comes near it

Report this post »

ianzemma says...
8:40am Sat 3 Nov 12

regardless of how friendly your dog is towards others, it doesn't mean that dog is friendly towards yours! silly man! ALL dogs should be kept on leads, i've had several dogs running up to me and jumping up on me whilst their owners are out of view, who then rush over to apologise while i'm covered in dirty paw prints!

Report this post »

dodo777 says...
10:58am Sat 3 Nov 12

How sad and sick,Not enough is being done to stop dangerous dogs walking our streets .
All dogs muzzled law.

Report this post »

Strider says...
12:46pm Sat 3 Nov 12

I fail to see how this was the owner of two dogs fault as the Argus says they where on a lead!! This idiot should have kept his dog on the lead!!

Also seeing there are signs that dogs must be kept on leads at all time either this guy can't can't read or just chooses to ignore the rules that don't suit him

Report this post »

Limestonecowboy says...
8:15pm Sat 3 Nov 12

Strider wrote:
I fail to see how this was the owner of two dogs fault as the Argus says they where on a lead!! This idiot should have kept his dog on the lead!! Also seeing there are signs that dogs must be kept on leads at all time either this guy can't can't read or just chooses to ignore the rules that don't suit him
to get a dog to exercise properly it needs to run around & should do without the risk of being torn apart by some agressive dogs. The puppys owner is not an idiot - show some compassion.

Report this post »

rover100rich says...
11:32pm Sat 3 Nov 12

at 18 months old hes a fully grown dog not a puppy , the owner saw the other dogs and just let his own dog out without a lead , they looked like pit bulls,this is speculation to garner sympathy because in the eyes of the public pitbulls are dangerous dogs , maybe they were staffs, or rottweillers or dobermans , whatever, was his dog neutered or not?i would be interested in the point of view of the other owner,you may be right on muzzling as long as everyone does it as it takes away the dogs means of defence as well, i got ticked off by a guy recently when his child put his hand to my dog and the dog snapped a little at him , my dog was tied up with a lead, and i would not take him to the garden centre again with me , but he wouldnt accept his responsibility to tell his children not to put their hands to strange dogs, what does the dog think?i am sorry for the mans loss but he needs to rethink owner behaviour when he gets his next dog.

Report this post »

Bommaz says...
9:39am Sun 4 Nov 12

There does need to be stricter laws on dogs in public, i think most owners know their dogs behavior well enough to to warn other dog owners or just walkers if their dog is aggresive, this will only work if the dog is on a lead and this is enforced but enforcement is the problem, people are still driving without a seatbelt so what chance is there of getting hold of the problem. something that is being tried out is owners of problem dogs can tie something yellow to the lead like a ribbon to warn others of the dogs attitude towards others maybe this would help, in my experience with aggresive dogs i find the owners to just as agressive when you ask then to put their dog on a lead, so maybe they should not own one in the first place. sad to hear about the little dog but again if it was under control there may have been a better ending.

Report this post »

Limestonecowboy says...
6:27pm Sun 4 Nov 12

rover100rich wrote:
at 18 months old hes a fully grown dog not a puppy , the owner saw the other dogs and just let his own dog out without a lead , they looked like pit bulls,this is speculation to garner sympathy because in the eyes of the public pitbulls are dangerous dogs , maybe they were staffs, or rottweillers or dobermans , whatever, was his dog neutered or not?i would be interested in the point of view of the other owner,you may be right on muzzling as long as everyone does it as it takes away the dogs means of defence as well, i got ticked off by a guy recently when his child put his hand to my dog and the dog snapped a little at him , my dog was tied up with a lead, and i would not take him to the garden centre again with me , but he wouldnt accept his responsibility to tell his children not to put their hands to strange dogs, what does the dog think?i am sorry for the mans loss but he needs to rethink owner behaviour when he gets his next dog.
Your dog sounds quite agressive!

Report this post »

smartie40 says...
4:59pm Thu 8 Nov 12

Thankyou for putting your story across and making staffordshire bull terrier owners loook irresponsible!! What is your point of this story other than make yourself look stupid as you did not have your dog on a lead?
I am an owner of a staffordhire bull terrier and already i have had people telling me these are dangerous dogs and those dogs killled a dog at tredegar park. My dog reguarly gets snarled upon by irresponsible dog owners little ratty dogs who have there dogs off the lead and just walk away, and there i am trying to keep my dog calm on its lead while the owners take no notice. The Owners fault that dog died They are.Animals at the end of day, they do not speak.
So don't Tar us dog owners with staffordshire bull terriers, as my dog is probably better behaved than most people...

Report this post »

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree