Cumbrian man tells of dog attack horror

Last updated at 12:05, Wednesday, 26 November 2008

A Whitehaven pensioner who was savagely attacked by a dog has spoken about his ordeal.

William Kirkbride

William Kirkbride was bitten by the dog – believed to be a cross between a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and another breed – outside his home in Burnmoor Avenue, Mirehouse last week.

He is still making daily trips to hospital to have his dressings changed on the wound to his right hand, is taking antibiotics and pain killers and is now waiting to see a plastic surgeon to discuss the possibility of having a skin graft.

Police are still hunting the owner of the dog after he fled the scene when his dog attacked Mr Kirkbride.

The 72-year-old was taking his two Dalmatian dogs out for a walk down the Cattle Arch at Mirehouse through to St Gregory’s School last Wednesday at 9pm, when a dog bolted up to them and bit one of his dogs, Jake, on the neck. Mr Kirkbride tried to pull Jake away without success.

The other dog’s owner walked over and kicked his dog three times to make it let go of Jake’s neck, but the dog then jumped at Mr Kirkbride, biting his hand and ripping the skin right off.

Mr Kirkbride said: “I could feel the dog’s teeth going into my hand. It was stinging a lot and I put some water on it to clean the blood off and saw all of the skin was off.

“The dog was growling all of the time. I have been to a circus and seen lions, and this was just like one.

“It was wanting to get back at Jake after it was pulled away.”

Mr Kirkbride said that the man saw the dog bite him and put his dog’s lead on and ran away in the direction of the Crown and Anchor pub.

Mr Kirkbride’s wife, Mary, who was in the house at the time of the incident, said that she heard bangs coming from outside and thought her husband was being attacked.

“When I looked at William’s hand that night, all I could see was veins and blood, he hadn’t a bit of skin on it,” she said.

Mr Kirkbride went to the West Cumberland Hospital where a doctor tried to pull the skin back into place.

“It had pulled the skin right off. Blood is still weeping through the bandage,” Mr Kirkbride said.

“I haven’t slept in four nights. It has been painful ever since it happened. I have to take a painkiller before I go to bed but I still can’t sleep.

“It is not that bad through the day, but at nighttime it starts to ache all of the time.

“When I am using a knife and fork it does hurt a bit and I have a bit of trouble.”

Mr Kirkbride is going to see a plastic surgeon on Friday to see if he needs a skin graft on the wound.

Mr and Mrs Kirkbride said that Jake was in shock after the attack and would not eat the following day.

“Jake wouldn’t harm a fly,” said Mr Kirkbride. “He just stood there.

“It has left teeth marks on his neck but it did not break the skin which is a good job because it would have killed him if it had went through his windpipe.”

Mr Kirkbride considers himself lucky and said that if it had been a child whom the dog had bitten, it would have been worse.

“I think it would have taken a little kid’s hand off.”

Chief Inspector Mairi Stamper said: “It is an unusual incident and we need to track the owner of the dog to establish what has happened.

“Local people tend to know the local dog walkers and owners in the area and they should come forward.

“It is a very serious incident.”

The dog is described as tan-coloured with a white patch on its chest.

The owner, a white male between 20 and 30 years old, was wearing a camouflage jacket and baseball cap. He was also carrying a large torch.

Anybody with information should call Whitehaven police on 0845 3300 247.