Dog attack leaves family shaken

A MURRUMBATEMAN family has been left shaken, bitten and bruised after an unleashed dog attacked them at a Garden Bay beach on the South Coast recently.

Claire Percival said her husband Nigel is still on antibiotics to treat a wound infection on his leg, while their four-year-old son Joseph’s bite marks had healed well but the trauma of the incident had left him frightened of dogs.

The family was spending their Easter Monday at the beach, near Malua Bay, when their day turned sour at about 9.30am.

Mrs Percival said she was on the beach with their three-week-old baby Eleanor in a pram while Mr Percival waded in the shallow water with Joseph and Liam (two).

“There was another guy coming along the beach about 70 metres away, walking with a Staffy puppy,” she told Scoop.

“It wasn’t on a lead and it raced along the beach and made a beeline towards my husband and the boys – I was thinking my four-year-old might crack it [to see the dog approaching], but he didn’t.

“But then the dog started jumping up on him and nipping him and then it bit him on the forearm.”

Mr Percival picked up both boys and balanced them on his shoulders as he tried to keep them away from the dog, she said.

“My husband ended up wading into the water waist-deep to get away from the dog, and the dog was still barking at him [from the shoreline] and both the boys were screaming and crying – it was a bit traumatic.”

She said the owner, who appeared to be in his 80s, continued “shuffling along the beach” without urgency and didn’t appear to be aware of the attack.

When he did catch up, he was unable to secure his dog for about seven or eight minutes, Mrs Percival said.

“It caused quite a scene – there were about half-a-dozen people on the bay and they were either standing up [worried] or trying to distract the dog.

“One guy went in and helped my husband get the kids out, other families shipped their kids off to their cars.”

Residents watching from nearby homes also came to assist.

She said the dog owner seemed quite apologetic and revealed the animal hadn’t done this kind of thing before.

He offered to pay the family’s medical bills. He mentioned the dog was just a puppy and hadn’t been desexed because he wasn’t yet six months old.

Mr Percival went to secure his children in the safety of their car and settle them down. When he returned, the elderly owner had left without leaving his details.

“I’m not sure whether he left because he was scared his dog would be put down, or whether he just didn’t understand fully what was going on,” she said.

The family left business cards with witnesses and headed for Bateman’s Bay hospital to get a Tetanus shot.

As it was a two-hour wait, they decided to drive home and attend Yass Hospital instead.

“My husband’s bites were quite deep… They flared up and became infected. It has bruised most of his calf because he was bitten behind the knee.”

Joseph’s bite marks drew blood but have since healed well. But the emotional scars might take longer to heal.

“My four-year-old had already had a bad experience with dogs before… we were only just getting him confident and maybe that’s why he didn’t worry at first.”

The family has lodged complaints with Eurobodalla Shire Council and Bateman’s Bay Police. While Mrs Percival believes not much can be done about the incident now, she would still like to make contact with the elderly owner of the dog.

The beach is signposted as an area requiring dogs to be leashed.

The underside of Nigel Percival’s knee after being bitten by an unleashed dog. PHOTO: Supplied