Toowoomba dog attack victim calls on owner of vicious dog to come forward as Toowoomba Regional Council investigation into incident continues

In an instant, the irresponsible actions of one dog owner forever changed the life of Vyvyan Glover, who has called on him to come forward before his dangerous dog attacks again. WARNING: GRAPHIC.

Taking her son’s dog to the Thiess Off-Leash Dog Park, like she had every day for the past few years, the morning of August 11 was just like any other for Toowoomba woman Vyvyan Glover.

However, in a matter of hours, her life would be forever changed after she was the victim of a vicious mauling from two dangerous dogs.

With the owner of the dogs fleeing the scene and Toowoomba Regional Council investigating the attack, Ms Glover has called the man’s actions “disappointing” after he failed to manage his dogs.

She said she feared if something wasn’t done the dogs could attack again.

Vyvyan Glover, pictured with Kemba, call on the owner of the dogs who attacked them to come forward before the dangerous dogs attack again, Thursday, August 25, 2022. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Ms Glover said she was walking Jack Russell Kemba to the park, and noticed a man with three dogs within the enclosure “playing happily” some distance away.

After entering the off-leash area Ms Glover said she had only walked a few steps before the man began yelling at her to “get out now”.

“I called Kemba and picked him up, and by the time I had him in my arms I looked up and saw the dogs were a couple of steps away, then they were biting me,” she said.

“There was one dog on my left, and one on my right.

“I don’t know what was going through my head, I was just trying to protect my dog. My first instinct was to save Kemba and I’m glad I did what I did because I don’t know how I would go seeing him mauled to death. I’m sure he would have died if those dogs got hold of him.”

Ms Glover was knocked to the ground during the assault as the two dogs mauled her arms, causing severe bruising and lacerations.

The owner picked up Kemba and took him to the outside of the enclosure and the two dogs that had mauled Ms Glover followed, allowing her to roll over and get up.

“By the time I got to the gate he had the leads and was hitting the dogs so that I could get out,” she said.

Knowing that she had been bitten, Ms Glover said she took off her shirt to reveal a gaping wound on her left arm.

Ms Glover said she called triple-0 and asked the man to stay with her until the ambulance arrived, but as he heard the sirens approached told her he needed to put the dogs in his ute, before driving off.

Toowoomba woman Vyvyan Glover's arm after she was operated on following a dog attack, that saw her need a skin graft on her left arm for a large wound she suffered as a result. Photo: Contributed.

After being assessed by the paramedics and taken to Toowoomba Hospital, where she was operated on the following day, that saw Ms Glover need a 7cm by 6cm skin graft from her left thigh onto the wound on her left arm.

“I got stitches for the smaller bites, and a bite on my right arm missed a nerve by less than 1mm,” she said.

Recovering from the physical and emotional damage done by the attack, Ms Glover said she was still coming to terms with what had happened.

“I’m not able to do things that I normally love to do,” she said.

“I’m totally dependent on other people, I can’t drive, I can’t work in my cleaning job, I can’t even wash my own hair.

“He definitely knew, in my opinion, those dogs were vicious because as soon as he saw me in the park he screamed at me to get out. He knew they were dangerous and shouldn’t have had them there in the first place.

“I would like him to come forward as the council needs to be able to make that assessment on whether those dogs need to have restrictions. If nothing is done about those dogs they will be somewhere at some stage where there is a child and I need to speak up because I’d have a lot to bear on my shoulders if I didn’t do the best I could to get those dogs assessed by council.

“He needs to man up and bring the dogs forward and let the council make their decision.”

Toowoomba Regional Council is investigating a serious dog attack and believe the owner of this vehicle can assist with their inquiries.

Council has confirmed investigations into the incident are ongoing.

Home security camera captured a blue dual cab ute parked near Thiess Park at the time of the attack, with a male driver leaving soon after the incident with three dogs.

Council’s environmental health portfolio leader Tim McMahon McMahon said he was concerned about the seriousness of the attack, and it was unacceptable for a person or animal to be attacked by a dog.

If anyone has any information they are urged to contact Toowoomba Regional Council on 131 872.