Another attack by a dangerous dog

[deputydawg]

I have been asked by an elderly friend to post that there has been an incident with a dangerous dog which has caused her to remain in hospital for 3 days to date. This lady was doing the responsible thing of keeping 2 dogs on a lead whilst walking them in a coastal area West of Lapta. This put her in the target area of a dog described as a pitbull or similar which was unleashed but in the company of a local man well known to the police. It attacked without provocation, sank it's teeth into the calf of her leg, and would not let go. Eventually, in shock, and bleeding profusely, the lady made it to the garden wall of a Cypriot family and asked them to telephone and report the matter to the police and request that they arrange for an ambulance. Evidently the police said, (if they were contacted), that they did not respond to such incidents and the ambulance service too did not respond to "dog bite" incidents only emergencies. The lady was given treatment for tetanus and is receiving drugs and antibiotics intravenously having been driven to hospital in a private car. Obviously in some discomfort and shock but adamant that the matter will become a matter for the police come what may. Please do not ask me for any further information as what has been related is all I know. I hope this post does not start heated discussions regarding animal charities but when I learn from visits to the hospital details of discharge to home I will post the information for those who may feel concerned, as we do, as the wound is not superficial.

[suehowlittle]

I will absolutely despair if the Police are not interested in this dreadful attack. This lady had to be kept in hospital as her injuries are very serious.

The only thing she did wrong was not to have a revolver to shoot the wretched creature! (Think also the owner should be hauled before the courts and punished)

[Mel7348]

Thank you very much for your post.

It is indeed disturbing. It is only a matter of time before an attack results in a fatality.

Irresponsible ownership is what makes for dangerous incidents like the above. Ideally train the owner and then the dog . Cannot see it happening without support from the authorities, vets & KAR in unison, lobbying for making it illegal allow a dog on a street unleashed.

[Ozangirl]

I heard another story yesterday that a friend of my mum's in Karakum also got attacked by a dangerous dog, not on a leash, belonged to a Cypriot, she now has 13 stitches in her arm and is repeatedly back and forth to the hospital. She reported this to the police, but they would not do anything about it. This lady was just innocently walking on her own.

[Keithcaley]

I've had three attempts at composing a response which adequately expresses my true feelings and opinion regarding this situation, but sadly all are unpublishable.

If anyone wishes to discuss the matter 'off board', please feel free to email me [email protected] .

DD, Ozangirl, please give the ladies concerned my very best wishes.

[banjo]

Deputydawg
If you would please wish the lady well and speedy recovery from a Kibkom'er. And, perhaps, later let us know exactly where it happened, for other people to be careful.
MEL
I am sure you do not fully realize what you are saying 'no dogs in the streets unleashed'. The dogs that KAR sends back into the street can also be dangerous. And I know what I am talking about.
I do know it is slightly 'of topic' and that it, in no way is allowed to criticise KAR.
But surely the lady that has been attacked must, with a Cypriot Turkish friend, go back to the police, and insist the police make a report. I would suggest 1st floor, if we talk about Girne police station

[deputydawg]

Thank you all for the good wishes which I will pass on and I know they will be appreciated. I have of course encouraged the lady to make a complaint from her hospital bed as it might be good for the police to have to attend the hospital and see for themselves the distress and injury caused. I am doing my best to see that as much admissible evidence as possible such as photographs and medical reports are collated and the lady is adamant that the matter will be pursued but obviously I do not want to add to her worries by pushing matters too hard when she needs rest. I do not believe that it was on a beach but a coastal walk. I am not yet aware exactly where the incident occurred but I mentioned West of Lapta as Keith Caley has not yet taught me how to spell CatchyArthur/Kashiarker/ ? (sod it East of Guzzleguts or is it Gussleyert) ? Is does perhaps explain why some locals stand on walls clutching bricks when stray dogs are around.

[Marions]

'Faraway places with strange sounding names' - a line from a song years ago that came to mind when trying to spell Karsiyaka! Lovely stuff.
to be serious, the lady must report to the police. I know sometimes they seem heartless and uncaring, but in the main they DO care. also, I know not everyone agrees, but do report this to KAR because they do have a data base they keep and everything that is recorded might just be of value in the future.

Please giv e her my synpathy and wish her well soon. This is the second case I have heard where a leg has been mauled. It happened to a lady in Kyrenia. doubt it wasthe same dog, but you never know.
what always amazes me is that one expects behaviour from dogs superior to we humans. If wwe humans can sense fear and act out rage, then we must realise that dogs do too (any animal), and that is why it is so often said that there are no bd dogs, only bad owners. That doesn't change anything, but next time i could be a child. so it mustbe recorded and follow up enquirries made.

It is all getting a bit out of hand.

[belle]

Marion I think you should re-read your post, your comforting words fail me, what planet are you on!!

[karmels]

Marion.
To much wine I think.??

[Marions]

wow. I know what I was thinking, but sorry to disappoint about the cause. Not wine (I am t-total) but tiredness has sent me off into another state. Sorry about that! Perhaps I should close down, at least until I have had a goodnight's sleep. But the essence of what I said, I stand by - it was a bit jumbled up. Sorry

[Dalartokat]

Marion, having the rest first before you post, then reading what you are about to submit, might be best. I have read your posting 3 times and cannot make it out. You don't have to reply to every single thread. I know you mean well.

[deputydawg]

I am very pleased to be able to tell you that our friend has now been discharged from hospital but clearly needs further rest and restricted activity for some time. There are many friends and neighbours who will help her pursue matters with the police. Whilst not the nicest thing to contemplate, amongst other things, the lady has hygienically preserved the slacks she was wearing as evidence of the extreme amount of blood loss. Our friend now confirms that the pitbull or similar dog is black in colour and the person (the owner?) who was accompanying the dog is well known by many Karsiyaka residents as a scruffy vagabond to beware of, and is also well known to the local police. Thus the dog is likely to be encountered anywhere in the area but particularly in the area between the coastal road and coast. Our friend, who views this board, and perhaps may apply to join as a member, thanks you all, as I do also, for your interest and good wishes.

[billywiz]

Glad to hear that the lady in question is ok. maybe with the evidence you can obtain the vagabond will be pulled up to explain himself, i doubt very much will be done, its just a simple case of keep your bloody dog on a lead.(sorry for the b word) it just so gets to me it,s a simple remedy. keep them on a lead and keep them under control!!!!!

[belle]

DD, please give this lady my best wishes and I hope she rests and recovers completely, she must have been terrified. I say the dog should be destroyed as it is only a matter of time before the bloody thing attacks again.

[Philoz]

Can anyone clarify whether there are any rules here regarding dogs generally?
In terms of either aggression, or barking?.
And if there are- how do you enforce the rules?

[Ozangirl]

Don't get me started on barking dogs ! I had about 2 hours sleep last night - how do people not hear their own dogs barking all night ????

[Marions]

They don't, no more than people with trains at the bottom of the garden hear them. selective hearing. Infuriating though it is. But I would have thought that other dogs barking or cats screeching or whatever would wake them. so presumably the dogs are outside? We have dogs in the street here which should not be, and they are a dawn chorus I could live without.

[Philoz]

Marions -I didn't realise there were trains here? .(you do come out with some gems).

Seriously though.

I Imagine that if you were born and bred here,as in many Mediterranean countries,the sound of dogs barking, is akin to the dawn chorus of birds-given that they all live outside.

I think it grates on the Brits here so much as,because of our climate our dogs tend to live indoors rather than outdoors,and subsequently we are not used to it.

Ozangirl- where are you in Ozankoy?- there is a dog I can hear which must be about 1/3 a mile a way(So I can hear it but it doesn't bother me)-but the poor animal barks 24/7-If I lived next door to that dog I am afraid I would have flipped completely and dealt with the owner/dog.

Love dogs and not a violent person-but there is only so much you can tolerate.

Given that my experience of local people here is that they are very friendly-why do something so antisocial that really P*****s your neighbours off?(Ie let your dog bark non stop).

I guess it is a 'cultural' thing which I must admit to having a problem getting my head round.

[Marions]

Going back to my own former life as a child in London, Philoz. couldn't think of a similar noise here but out of experience know that one can blockout sounds. Actually my husband blocks all of them out very easily - he takes out his deaf aids! |Of course there is nothing to stop any of us wearing ear plugs. And I have to level with you. I would not hear the dogs in the street if it wasn't for my dog answering them , treble forte! As my dog is on my bed I get woken. And don't say lock the dog out and then no prob, cos she would bark all night at being abandoned.

I also firmly believe that one should live by the 'if at rome do as the romans do' and if one really cannot hack it, then move. O.K. many of us could not afford to move too far, but life is full of choices.

Guess we all have a moan on a 'down day' and sometimes a moan does get things done for the better. I lived in Australia where I tried NOT to be a whinging Pom, but on the other hand I know plenty of whinging 'others'.

Yes, the more I think about it, the more I think ear plugs are the answer

[Sandman]

The dog problem in TRNC was introduced by the great british dog fraternity who, as in the UK , see (or hear) no problem with barking dogs and therefore cannot understand those of us who do not want to listen to this noise day in and day out.
Karaman is the worst place closely followed by Ozenkoy and Bellapais ( In my experience over the last 10 years)
No doubt a lot of the problem is caused by strays but these are largely the result of Brits abandoning animals - for whatever reason - much as they do in the UK.
The locals also add to the problem by leaving dogs tied up all day (as I witnessed in Bellapais)
I lived in limassol in the 60s and there were no such problems then!!!!
I think that apart from the minority of responsible dog owners there are a large number of morons who have dogs for whatever reason but do not know how to look after them!
The odd bark is acceptable but incessant barking indicates stress or other problems with the animal.
Personally I would advocate a cull of strays and similarly a cull of irresponsible owners!!

[Mel7348]

Sorry . I read somewhere that when Lord Kitchener was Govenor General here he bought over his pack of hunting terriers and that all Cyprus Terriers today are descended from said pack.

[Rambling Rose]

A brief return from self imposed exile because Sandman raises such interesting points:

There was a stray problem in Limassol in the 60s (though perhaps not as large) and it was mainly because of the Brits - as was proved by the type of dog (ie not hunting dog types). People just had too many others things on their minds to have time to moan about animals. In l963 in Limassol lying awake listening to nearby gunfire and mortars, we would have welcomed a night with no sound except dogs barking and cats yowling, (not to mention donkeys, sheep and poulty adding their penny's worth).

Sandman is right - incessant noise is a sign of something wrong with the dog. There is a dog within earshot that keeps me awake by whining and howling, which worries me far more than barking. However although I am known to disapprove of KAR's policies and use of public funds, in this particular matter one must be accept that they just do not have the authority to act in the case of individual mistreatment of animals.

Intermittant barking is another matter. Dogs are just doing what they see as their duty to warn. Responsible owners trying to train and control their dogs are driven mad by cats yowling and often deliberately teasing the dogs, so lets accept it is an animal problem, not just a dog problem, and encouraging stray cats (as opposed to adopting and domesticating them) may not be helping. Irresponsible humans, shouting on the way back from the pub, revving engines and parking irresponsibly are also part of the problem.

Mel: Interesting, I can well, believe it. I have always thought Cyprus terriers have a bit of Jack Russell in them. There must also have been a few randy poodles around as well,though, to account for the coats.