Bull Arab dog nearly kills pet greyhound in horrific attack, with bites just 3mm from its jugular

A MAGISTRATE has hit out at the owner of a vicious dog that mauled a defenceless pet greyhound in an Ormond street — narrowly missing its jugular vein — saying he “can’t imagine” why anyone would own in suburbia would own that breed.

A VICIOUS dog spooked by lightning jumped a fence and mauled a pet greyhound, narrowly missing its jugular vein, a court has heard.

Glen Eira Council prosecutor Matt Aitken told Moorabbin Magistrate’s Court the victim and her pet were out walking at around 5.45pm on November 17 last year when suddenly a dog vaulted a nearby front fence and lunged at them.

It got hold of her greyhound by its neck, took it to the ground and wouldn’t let go.

The defenceless animal was yelping and crying in pain as the other dog gripped it in its jaws.

When its owner tried to stop the attack, she was also bitten and suffered puncture wounds to her arm.

Witnesses managed to get the attacking dog off the greyhound and it was taken to a vet clinic for emergency surgery. It suffered serious bite wounds to the neck — one wound was only 3mm from its jugular — and a swollen eye.

Her owner had to have hospital treatment and plastic surgery for lacerations.

The bull Arab owner Geronimo Aguita pleaded guilty to three local law violations and the

court was told he and the dog had lived in the Ormond street for just one week before the brutal attack happened.

Representing himself at the February 27 hearing, Aguita said he was moving the dog from the front yard to the back when a lightning strike startled it and it ran off, jumping the fence and going on the attack.

“I feel horrible about what happened,” he said.

He told the court the dog had since moved interstate to live with an ex-partner.

Magistrate Rodney Crisp said he “wouldn’t want that dog around children”.

“Owning a breed that can inflict serious injury is ridiculous,” Mr Crisp said.

“I can’t imagine why anyone would want to own a dog like that in a suburban environment.”

Aguita was fined $2500 and ordered to pay $3164 in compensation to the victim.

The bull Arab, originally bred as a pig hunter, is not classed as a restricted dog breed.