A WOMAN was mauled by two XL Bully dogs for seven minutes during a terrifying attack.
Rachael Millard, 35, was walking her own two dogs in Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, when the “aggressive” hounds charged out of an open door towards her.
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Terrified Rachael dived on her puppy to protect it and was left cowering on the floor as the pair of vicious dogs sank their teeth into her.
She was screaming out for help and people looked on but did not intervene, Newport Crown Court heard.
Rachael tried to stand up during the attack but the dogs jumped up on her and pinned her down on the floor.
She suffered seven puncture wounds to her legs and fingers and was left scarred by the “prolonged attack”, which lasted seven minutes.
The brutal mauling only ended when a work colleague called her name and she scrambled into her house before being taken to a Cardiff hospital for treatment.
A court heard serial criminal Marcus Walsh, 41, was banned from owning dogs at the time when the two beasts carried out the attack.
Walsh, of Penydarren, pleaded guilty to owning a dog dangerously out of control and causing injury and received an 18-month sentence.Â
He was also banned from owning dogs for a further 10 years.
Prosecutor Roger Griffiths said: “Ms Walsh saw two young girls open the front door of a property and two dogs ran out of the property and ran towards her to attack.”
Mr Griffiths said that after the attack, Walsh went to Ms Millard’s house holding flowers and begged her not to tell police because he was not allowed to own dogs.Â
Walsh allegedly told her that it was “pointless” contacting cops because the dogs had been given away, before refusing to say where they were.Â
In a victim personal statement, Ms Millard said: “Since the event I haven’t slept very well and relive parts of the incident carrying my dog. My partner wakes me up because I’m screaming. I have a great deal of anxiety and stress and I am worried to leave the address on my own to walk the dog.
“The pain in my leg means I am unable to run with my dog. I have been unable to work since the incident due to the physical injury and also due to the stress of the incident and what it has cost me.
“It has impacted my life forever, accidents can happen but if a child or a vulnerable adult was in my place the story could have been different. Marcus removed the dogs before the authorities knew about this.”
Rachael told Newport Crown Court she suffered from post traumatic stress disorder and was “hypervigilant” when walking her own pets.
She added: “Regardless of the situation, it put people at great risk and I live in dread thinking I may see one of them. This is irresponsible. Since that day I can never enjoy my walk without being super alert. I am hyper vigilant and overwhelmed when I see two dogs.
“I am suffering with PTSD from this and relive those moments on the road with the dogs either side of me whilst trying to keep hold of my puppy. [It] affects my home life, partner and beautiful boxer puppy.”
Walsh pleaded guilty to owning a dog dangerously out of control and causing injury.
The court heard Walsh has 121 previous convictions, including an identical offence in 2016 when a dog he owned named Otto injured a person trying to stop the dog from attacking his dog, resulting in puncture wounds to his hands and wrists, and a cracked rib.
Walsh was disqualified from owning a dog for five years, and was still banned at the time of the latest offence.
Victoria Maud, defending, said Walsh had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
She said her client is a “hard working” man and was not present when the dogs escaped from his partner’s house.
The barrister said the defendant accepts the incident could have been “much worse than it was” and he has shown “great remorse”.
When asked by Judge Daniel Williams if Walsh would divulge the location of the dogs, Ms Maud said the defendant believes one of the dogs is being put down and the other dog is living with a friend in “the Valleys” and would be willing to find out the address.
The judge said: “He’s had ample time to do that.”
Sentencing him, Judge Daniel Williams told Walsh: “You are not a fit an proper person to own a dog.”
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