http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/...tells-of-horror-dog-attack-on-brave-daughter/
stun gun, sniper rifle, or hockey stick?
The father of a six-year-old girl mauled by a pack of dogs has demanded tougher breed restrictions as he described the horror of the attack that left his daughter with hundreds of stitches to her head.
Bruce Wicksteed had been working on a vehicle at a property on Eighty Road, Baldivis, on Friday when he heard screaming and realised his daughter Maya had wandered off.
He described "a horrible feeling in my gut" as he ran towards the commotion where he found six dogs, including three Bull Arabs, attacking the property owner, who was face down on the ground.
"I realised Maya was lying underneath him and his wife was lying down in the path of the dogs to try to shield my daughter," Mr Wicksteed said.
"I feared for my life. I picked up a length of hose and just started whipping them and yelling."
The pack split up and Mr Wicksteed picked up his "sandy and bloody" daughter and started to walk to a nearby house. He started to run when he realised the Bull Arabs, which stand about 120cm tall and weigh more than 60kg, were running towards them.
"It was very scary," he said. "These dogs are bred for a purpose and they are bred for hunting and killing pigs."
Maya is the same height as the dogs and weighs about 25kg. She had deep wounds to her scalp and had big chunks of her hair ripped out as the animals dragged her about 40m. She also has puncture wounds millimetres from her right eye.
Plastic surgeons spent three hours patching up Maya's wounds.
Mr Wicksteed said his daughter should not have any permanent wounds but had been left traumatised.
Yesterday, Maya drew a picture of herself skipping and thinking of things that made her happy. It also included a menacing dog thinking of a dead girl and blood.
Mr Wicksteed choked back tears as he said the property owners saved Maya's life.
"They lay themselves down to protect her and I'm eternally grateful for that - it was an amazing act," he said. "My wife and I are concerned this breed of dog is not more regulated. They're a killing machine and if a dog can't differentiate between a little girl and a pig, there's an issue.
"These dogs, I believe, have to be put down but I would like more awareness on the breed and I would like much tighter controls on how they are managed."
The three Bull Arabs, owed by the property owners' son, were surrendered to City of Rockingham rangers. The other three dogs, including a German shepherd and a red cloud kelpie, remained at the property.
Mr Wicksteed said he also had concerns about the number of dogs a person could own because he believed all six had adopted a pack mentality.
The dogs may be destroyed and, under the Dog Act, the owner could be fined $10,000.
stun gun, sniper rifle, or hockey stick?
The father of a six-year-old girl mauled by a pack of dogs has demanded tougher breed restrictions as he described the horror of the attack that left his daughter with hundreds of stitches to her head.
Bruce Wicksteed had been working on a vehicle at a property on Eighty Road, Baldivis, on Friday when he heard screaming and realised his daughter Maya had wandered off.
He described "a horrible feeling in my gut" as he ran towards the commotion where he found six dogs, including three Bull Arabs, attacking the property owner, who was face down on the ground.
"I realised Maya was lying underneath him and his wife was lying down in the path of the dogs to try to shield my daughter," Mr Wicksteed said.
"I feared for my life. I picked up a length of hose and just started whipping them and yelling."
The pack split up and Mr Wicksteed picked up his "sandy and bloody" daughter and started to walk to a nearby house. He started to run when he realised the Bull Arabs, which stand about 120cm tall and weigh more than 60kg, were running towards them.
"It was very scary," he said. "These dogs are bred for a purpose and they are bred for hunting and killing pigs."
Maya is the same height as the dogs and weighs about 25kg. She had deep wounds to her scalp and had big chunks of her hair ripped out as the animals dragged her about 40m. She also has puncture wounds millimetres from her right eye.
Plastic surgeons spent three hours patching up Maya's wounds.
Mr Wicksteed said his daughter should not have any permanent wounds but had been left traumatised.
Yesterday, Maya drew a picture of herself skipping and thinking of things that made her happy. It also included a menacing dog thinking of a dead girl and blood.
Mr Wicksteed choked back tears as he said the property owners saved Maya's life.
"They lay themselves down to protect her and I'm eternally grateful for that - it was an amazing act," he said. "My wife and I are concerned this breed of dog is not more regulated. They're a killing machine and if a dog can't differentiate between a little girl and a pig, there's an issue.
"These dogs, I believe, have to be put down but I would like more awareness on the breed and I would like much tighter controls on how they are managed."
The three Bull Arabs, owed by the property owners' son, were surrendered to City of Rockingham rangers. The other three dogs, including a German shepherd and a red cloud kelpie, remained at the property.
Mr Wicksteed said he also had concerns about the number of dogs a person could own because he believed all six had adopted a pack mentality.
The dogs may be destroyed and, under the Dog Act, the owner could be fined $10,000.
