A JOGGER suffered horrific injuries after she was attacked by a Rottweiler-type dog which “nearly ripped her arm off,” a court has heard.
Rachel Drew had been running along the River Stour in Dorset with air pods when the animal pounced on her from behind and she had to jump into the river to escape from suffering further injuries.
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The dangerous dog, an out-of-control boxweiler, – a cross between a boxer and Rottweiler – has been condemned to death for the horrific attack.
It jumped on her shoulders and pushed her to the ground before clamping its jaws on her arm and dragging her across the grass.
A witness heard Ms Drew’s “blood-curdling screams” as the ferocious dog tore her flesh and “nearly ripped her arm off”.
When it eventually let go she got up and jumped into the river to escape the 15-month-old boxweiler, called Frank, whose owner was unable to call it back.
The animal paced the riverbank, “snarling” at Ms Drew and went for her again when members of the public tried to help her out.
The loose dog then climbed on a terrified three-year-old girl before witness James Woodrow stepped in and got it off of her.
A “big young man” eventually restrained the boxweiler whose owner, Barbara Costello, was helpless to act during the incident as she held on to her other boxweiler.
Poole Magistrates’ Court heard Ms Drew suffered “horrific life-changing injuries” and needed plastic surgery to treat the wounds on her right arm.
The bites caused deep puncture wounds and nerve damage and she was in constant pain for several months afterwards.
Her injuries were ranked as a level five on the Dunbar dog bite scale – the highest level of six is fatal injuries.
Ms Drew said a doctor told her that if it had been a child who was attacked, they would have probably died.
Despite pleas by Barbara Costello, 47, to spare her dog’s life, a district judge ruled he had to be put down as it could easily happen again.
The attack happened at Canford Park in Poole on the morning of July 23, 2023, when Ms Drew was halfway through a 10km run.
At the time Costello was walking Frank off the lead while she held on to her other boxweiler Kane.
Jason Spellman, prosecuting, said: “Going for a run in the park in daylight in July is an entirely normal activity.
“The victim wasn’t engaging with the dog or tormenting the dog, she was quite far away and simply running, minding her own business.”
He said the dog carried out an “extremely vicious attack” and “nearly ripped someone’s arm off”.
Reading from Ms Drew’s statement, Mr Spellman told the court: “It approached me from behind and scratched me on my back and right shoulder before clamping its mouth around my right forearm.
“The force of the bite was a 9 out of 10. I thought it was going to kill me. It was snarling and its eyes glazed over as if I was its prey.
“I tried to grab hold of its head, trying to get the dog off me. It did eventually let go and I could feel it ripping my skin.
“The pain was immense. I had a long sleeve top on and could see flesh and fat coming out of my arm.
“I shouted for help and tried to stay still but it refused to let go. I went into fight or flight mode.
“I went towards the river and jumped in to get away. It was pacing along the bank, looking at me and snarling.”
Mr Woodrow said he heard a blood-curdling scream and saw a woman being dragged on the floor by a large dog.
He said when some people tried to help the jogger out of the river “the loose dog tried to attack her again”.
He also said when a girl of about three tried to run to her mum the loose dog “climbed on her” but he intervened.
The court heard that Ms Drew, who works in the beauty industry, has suffered from PTSD since the attack and now feels she can’t go running outside again.
She added: “Whilst the dog is alive, I do not feel safe. And what concerns me even more is that the doctor told me if it was a child they would most likely have died from their injuries.”
Costello, a mother-of-three from Ferndown, pleaded guilty to being the person in charge of a dangerously out of control dog causing injury.
She told the court she had complied with everything that had been asked of her – keeping Frank on a lead and muzzled in public.
She also called in a professional dog trainer, had him assessed by an animal behaviourist, changed the dogs’ diet and had them castrated.
She said: “We want to make sure we are doing everything possible to prove that this was a one-off incident.
“We have walked them at Canford Park two or three times a week since we got them and never had a problem before.
“I am sorry for that day, I wish I could take it back, but I have done everything possible since to try and rectify this.”
District Judge Orla Austin gave Costello a 12-week suspended prison sentence and ordered her to pay £85 costs and £154 victim surcharge.
But she ruled that Frank was a dangerous dog who posed a risk to the public and made a destruction order.
She said: “Clearly this is a very serious multiple bite attack without provocation and it caused life-changing injuries. The dog did not comply with instructions to stop, he was clearly dangerously out of control.
“I’m not satisfied that even on a lead he would obey your instructions and I’m not satisfied you would be able to stop him if he were to attack another person.”
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