FOUR people were victim to a hazardous dog attack in Costa Blanca that ended with a 51-year-old woman losing part of her ear.
A violent outburst from a dog deemed ‘potentially dangerous’ resulted in four people getting attacked in an Alicante neighbourhood.
Police sources have stated that the incident took place on Pitagoras Street in Elda on Friday around 5:30pm.
A dog was being walked without a muzzle by a 51-year-old woman who is supposedly not the owner.
While walking the dog along the outskirts of the city, sources say the dog pounced on a family passing by.
The animal first lunged at a 44-year-old woman and her daughter, 24, which caused injuries to both of their arms.
Then the dog went after the 4-year-old grandson, leaving him with minor injuries across his back, shoulders and buttocks.
When the dog walker tried to intervene to stop the mauling, she suffered the most severe injury.
The hound proceeded to bite the woman’s ear, which ended with it getting ripped off.
She was transferred to the General Doctor Balmis Hospital in Alicante to receive urgent reconstructive surgery.
The family of the mother, son, and grandmother were all taken to the Eldense Hospital to treat their minor injuries.
As of now it is uncertain as to why the dog began the attack.
Under Spain’s Animal Welfare Law, dog owners are liable to any damages caused by their pet.
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Responsibilities may include covering medical expenses, lost wages and compensation for any resulting injuries like scarring or lasting trauma.
Local police maintain jurisdiction over the control of perros potencialmente peligrosos (PPP), or potentially dangerous dogs.
Spain’s list of PPPs include Rottweilers, Dogo Argentinos, American Pitbull Terriers, and the Doberman breed.
The Spanish Supreme Court has determined that walking a ‘potentially dangerous’ dog off-leash and without a muzzle is a serious risk.
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It was a 2024 case that reached the higher courts, due to a 5-year-old girl getting bit by an American Staffordshire Terrier in a Valencia park.
The ruling confirmed that walking a dog without the required protection in which it could ‘undermine the physical integrity’ of the people it encounters can be prosecuted for serious negligence.
A Barcelona study from 2011-2018 found that approximately 70,000 children were attacked by dogs each year, measuring to around 200 cases a day.
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