Horror dog attack hospitalises Redlands woman Neha Deoliya

Frozen in shock and screaming for help a young woman ended up in hospital after being viciously attacked by two unleashed dogs while on her lunchtime walk. GRAPHIC WARNING

Frozen in shock and screaming for help, a young woman ended up in hospital after being viciously attacked by two unleashed dogs while on her lunchtime walk at Cleveland on June 22.

Redlands woman Neha Deoliya, 34, was on her usual lunch time walk at Cleveland when she was attacked by two unleashed dogs.

“I was out on my regular lunchtime walk near my workplace Cartridge World in Cleveland. As I was walking down Swallow Street, Thornlands, I saw a car come up to a house and the driver opened the remote operated gate,” she recalled.

“As the gate was opening, two large dogs came out barking at the car.

“The owner honked at the dogs and then drove in.”

Redlands woman Neha Deoliya, 34, was on her usual lunch time walk at Mount Cotton when being attacked by two unleashed dogs became the most traumatic experience of her life. Photo – contributed.

But by this point the canines were already charging at Ms Deoliya.

“I was frozen still in shock and I’d remembered being told before that running away might make it worse,” she said.

“Once I knew they were coming for me I started screaming as loud as I could on the street feeling helpless while there was no sight of the owner. Next thing I knew they were jumping on me and biting me.

“There was so much blood it was pooling at my feet.”

Redlands woman Neha Deoliya, 34-years-old. Photo – contributed.

Despite the attack only lasting 30 seconds, Ms Deoliya said she can’t stop reliving it whenever she closes her eyes.

“It was unbelievable and horrific … the most scared I’ve ever been in my life,” she said.

“What if they bit my face? It could have been so much worse … who knows how far they could have taken it.

“It’s the most traumatic experience of my life. I’m terrified it’ll happen again.”

Eventually, the lady who had driven inside the gate came back outside.

“She shouted at the dogs to get off me, took them inside and closed the gate,” Ms Deoliya said.

As the urgency of the situation sunk in, Ms Deoliya called her work colleagues for help.

“They came rushing to the spot where I stood alone bleeding heavily,” she said.

Seeing the considerable blood loss, they drove her to Redlands Hospital.

In the ER two doctors treated Ms Deoliya and she received multiple stitches for her four bites.

According to one of the doctor’s letters, addressed to police, she suffered ‘moderate blood loss’.

“She suffered four lacerations/bites; one on the left buttock and three on the lower left limb, in addition to multiple painful bruises” the doctor wrote.

“She required X-rays, stitches and antibiotics.

“The largest laceration was 2.5cm in length and 3cm deep. All injuries were in keeping with dog bites.”

Redlands woman Neha Deoliya, 34, was on her usual lunch time walk at Mount Cotton when being attacked by two unleashed dogs became the most traumatic experience of her life. Photo – contributed.

Ms Deoliya originally reported the incident to police, and then to Redlands City Council.

“I strongly believe that this could have been avoided had the owner behaved more responsibly and came out of the car when she saw the dogs had come outside,” she said.

“The owner was irresponsible. Dangerous dogs need to be kept inside yards and be controlled by their owners.

“This could happen to anyone. What if it was a small child?”

Thankfully, Ms Deoliya’s workplace has been nothing but supportive and allowed her to work from home while she recovers.

“You never think your dog could hurt someone but you just never know. It’s the responsibility of the dog owners and I wish this was taken more seriously by police and council,” she said.

A Redlands City Council spokesperson confirmed that on June 23, 2022, Council received a complaint about a dog attack that occurred in Thornlands on Wednesday 22 June 2022.

“Since the complaint was lodged, Council has obtained statements from the relevant parties, photos of the injuries sustained, and medical information,” they said.

“Council has also visited the dog’s owner’s property and inspected the enclosure.

“The investigation is continuing, and a decision is yet to be made.

“Council wants all dog owners to take responsibility for their pets to ensure animals and people remain safe.

“Dog owners can keep the community safe by ensuring their dog is kept within their fenced yard and on a lead at all times in public places, except when in a designated off-leash area.”

This attack comes off the back of a recent spike in dog attacks, including one that left a four-year-old with significant facial injuries, and has councils and ambulance officers across Greater Brisbane urging people to take more responsibility for their pets.

There were more than 2000 dog attacks reported to councils across southeast Queensland in the past 12 months alone.

Read the full breakdown of dog attack numbers per SEQ council here.