Last updated 15:53, Wednesday, 26 November 2008

A WHITEHAVEN pensioner was savagely attacked by a dog outside his home.

The owner of the dog fled when it attacked William Kirkbride.

The dog – believed to be a Staffordshire bull terrier cross – attacked Mr Kirkbride outside his home in Burnmoor Avenue, Mirehouse, last week.

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

The 72-year-old was taking his two Dalmatians 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 from the other dog but had no luck.

The 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 the house and thought that 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.”

Mr Kirkbride went to the West Cumberland Hospital where a doctor tried to pull the skin back to where it should be.

“It had pulled the skin right off. Blood is still weeping through the bandage.

“I have never had a sleep in four nights. It has been painful ever since it happened.

“Jake wouldn’t harm a fly. 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 wind pipe,” said Mr Kirkbride.

Chief Insp 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 carrying a large torch.

Anybody with information should contact 0845 33 00 247.