By ALESHA CAPONE
Kicker: Great-grandmother fights off vicious dog in…
A GREAT-GRANDMOTHER has bravely defended her little dog from a vicious attack by another canine in Keilor Downs.
Gloria, aged 82, said she was walking terrier-cross Toby past the soccer grounds parallel to Tarella Drive at Green Gully Reserve, when the terrifying event occurred on 6 September.
Gloria said she saw a man in the distance answer his mobile phone, while walking “a black dog which looked like a German shepherd”.
The black dog slipped out of its collar and ran towards Gloria.
Gloria said she was horrified when the other canine grabbed Toby by the neck, as she tried to protect him.
“I thought he was going to die,” Gloria said.
“I was punching and screaming at the other dog.”
“Anything, I could have done I would have done. I wasn’t worried about me.”
Gloria said the man tried to pull the black dog off Toby and after he left, teachers and pupils from Keilor Downs Secondary College cycled past.
They asked Gloria if she needed assistance and a teacher twice rang police, who said they would arrive in about 30 minutes.
Gloria said she could not wait that long before taking Toby to the vet, so began carrying him to her car.
On the way Gloria, encountered a man and his wife driving past, who gave her and Toby a lift.
At the vet, Toby needed $1000 worth of emergency surgery and tubes were sewn into him.
Last week, Toby still had more than 30 stitches in his back and under his chin.
The vet has predicted it will be months before Toby can walk properly again, so in the meantime Gloria is taking him for walks in a wheelchair.
She needed three bandages and a tetanus shot after her hand was injured by the black dog.
Gloria said she hoped the canine’s owner would be located and fined for having a dangerous dog.
A Brimbank City Council spokesman said 65 dog ‘rushes’ and 96 dog attacks have been reported in the past 12 months.
“The Green Gully dog attack is still under investigation,” he said.
“We are yet to identify the person in charge of the German Shepherd dog at the time of the attack, or its owner. Council is liaising with police on the investigation.”
