A young pet owner has been left devastated after her dog was viciously attacked and had to be put down.
India was walking her nine-year-old Wheaten terrier Minty in an off-lead section of Centennial Park in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in September.
She told Yahoo she was with her mum walking Minty and their dachshund Tilly when a cattle dog suddenly jumped out of a car and ran towards them.
‘(Tilly) gets frequently attacked, so we’re constantly on alert for dogs coming up to her.’
‘But that day this cattle dog just jumped out of its car, and though it seemed pretty calm to begin with, quickly, about two seconds later, beelined for Minty — who kind of looked like a sheep.’
She said the cattle dog targeted Minty’s back legs and then ‘took her out from underneath’.
‘Then when Minty was trying to scramble away, it bit the top of her neck, and in doing so, [momentarily] paralysed her.’
India and her family tearfully farewelled their beloved Minty, a Wheaten terrier on Tuesday (stock image)
India said after the attack, the owner walked off and was calling after the cattle dog.
They took Minty home and initially, she did not appear to be badly injured.
‘Then overnight, and from then on, she deteriorated rapidly. She couldn’t walk, she dug herself holes in the backyard and she took herself off,’ India said.
Before the attack, Minty was a very people-oriented dog, but after the savage encounter kept to herself.
Although Minty was on strong pain medication, the vet said she would never recover from the trauma of the attack and had no quality of life as she was unable to walk.
It was recommended that the most humane option was to euthanise Minty and end her suffering.
The family tearfully farewelled Minty on Tuesday.
‘I have never experienced a broken heart like this before,’ she said.
Devastated at the loss of her beloved Minty, she wants to bring awareness to the dangers of off-leash dogs who are untrained.
‘I’m not blaming the dog, I’m blaming the owner. It’s never the dog’s fault. It should have been trained properly, or kept on a lead.’
Centennial Park is one of the most dog-friendly parks in Sydney, with over 30 per cent of the Parklands’ open space designated off-leash.
The Centennial Parklands website states that a person must not ‘bring any animal (being an animal that is not prohibited from being on Trust lands) unless it is under the effective control of a competent person by means of an adequate chain, cord, leash or cage.’
Daily Mail Australia contacted Greater Sydney Parklands for comment.
Centennial Park is one of the most dog-friendly parks in Sydney, with over 30 per cent of the Parklands’ open space designated off-leash (stock image)
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