After the family’s rescue dog tore at his throat and attacked his wife and kid in an unprovoked “bloodbath,” an Australian father yelled for authorities to “just kill him.”
The family huddled in horror until police came at the Baldivis house in Perth’s southern suburbs on Sunday night when the 3-year-old Blue Heeler, Ace, leapt at Stephen Quail’s neck.
After they came, the dog continued to attack, and the WA police had to fire it three times before it was killed.
Early on Sunday evening, an animal attacked its owner and bit him on the throat and arm. The owner then phoned the police, who were dispatched to the Vernon Gough Drive residence in the city’s southern suburbs.
After being attacked by the dog that they had only one month earlier rescued, Mr. Quail, his wife Michelle, and their daughter, 18, were all taken by ambulance to Rockingham Hospital with significant injuries.
Mr. Quail told The West Australian, “I had to come out and take his jaws off [Michelle] and tossed the dog in front of the police officer and yelled, “Just shoot him, shoot him, shoot him.”
He said the dog ‘opened me up’ under the chin and believes he could have died if the dog didn’t still have a cone around its neck after the surgery.
Ms Quail said it took ‘all my might’ to pull Ace off her husband in the ‘horrific’ attack.
The dog then attacked their scared daughter on the arm before latching onto her leg. During the assault, she was able to lock herself in an adjacent room.
Ms. Quail said that the dog attack had come “out of nowhere” and that she had “never been so terrified.”
The dog had recently had castration surgery and was told by the family that it had a difficult background.
We’re not naive, we gave him so much attention, and our home is tranquil, Mr. Quail added.
The famous ABC Kids program of the same name helped popularize Blue Heelers, often known as Bluey.
Ms Quail said the family was ‘devastated’ because they’d expected Ace to be their ‘forever’ dog.
Both mother and daughter suffered multiple bite wounds, WA police confirmed, and Mr Quail had bite wounds to his neck, chin and one of his arms.
‘About 6:40pm last night, Sunday 10 July 2022, police received a Triple Zero emergency call regarding a pet dog attacking its owner at a residence in Baldivis,’ a WA police statement said.
‘The owner had received arm and throat injuries and along with three other family members had hidden from the dog, pending the arrival of authorities.
‘Due to the extremely aggressive nature of the dog a police firearm was discharged two times to stop the attack.
‘Given the injuries the dog received a third shot was fired to euthanise the dog and prevent it from suffering any further.’
St John Ambulance attended the scene and all three injured family members were taken to Rockingham General Hospital for treatment to their injuries.
