The owner of the $100,000 horse that was attacked by a pitbull in a Sydney park fled the scene and refused to provide their identity, prompting the rider to strike out at them.
On Saturday afternoon at Centennial Park in the city’s inner-east, Lunar was attacked by a white pitbull-Australian bulldog mix in front of numerous frightened families and observers.
Owner Ian Benson spotted the dog ‘lock on’ from a distance of about 50 meters while walking his dog Lunar via the park’s horse trail. The owners were unable to call the dog back.
It may have taken the nasty pitbull five minutes to attempt to bite the terrified horse before Ian was able to capture it by the collar and throw it to the ground.
The dog’s owners, he claimed, were unhelpful, snatching up the dog and hurrying out to their car after being assured that his horse was “fine.”
These canines may be quite destructive. The last time we had a dog attack like that, the horse had to be put down owing to injuries, he told Daily Mail Australia.
The owner of Lunar said the pitbull charged in from a distance when the owner was strolling without a lead and unable to control it.
He expressed surprise that the dog survived after Lunar kicked it twice in the head while attempting to escape from its clutches.
Ian said, “I’m surprised it’s not dead.” It received two head kicks. I tried everything to push it away, but it wouldn’t go away.
Although Lunar somehow escaped the assault unharmed, the rider claimed it was their second run-in with a dog this week.
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‘It’s not even about the breed of the dog, if you get any sort of dog go after a horse, if a young girl is on a pony, the rider can get dropped,’ Ian said.
‘A horse will try to gallop home naturally, a family of four could be driving past and see a horse jump through the windscreen.
‘Generally speaking dogs realise after a second or two they’re outmatched or outsized. Lunar is good with dogs too, she’ll just stand there.’
Ian stated that the owner of the pitbull’s refusal to exchange information or express any regret over the occurrence was the most frustrating aspect of the incident.
I urged him to keep his dog on a lead and requested his license and phone number once it was all over and I had caught the dog and pinned him down. I replied that your dog attacked my f***ing horse when he asked why,’ the man told Daily Mail Australia.
He assured me that my horse was alright and that I didn’t need his contact information before grabbing his dog and fleeing.
“I can’t go running after him to acquire his information because I’m dealing with a 750 kilogram beast that is spooked.” Since it costs $200 to call a vet out alone, it was a good thing she was alright.
He regretted the owner’s lack of accountability.
‘The owner of a dog that attacks someone is responsible. It’s my fault if my horse escapes because of that dog and runs over a woman wheeling a stroller, Ian added.
“I’ve experienced situations in the park previously, and they’ve always been kind enough to provide facts and let things go,” she said. You are unable to flee.
The pitbull owner was fined $330 for having the dog off-lead on the horse track, and rangers told Ian he had asked them for his number to apologise, after the incident had gotten to the media.
Shannon Bishop, a nearby citizen who witnessed the attack on camera, called it “terrible.”
She told Daily Mail Australia, “I watched the horse raise up on its hind legs and thought s**t what’s going on there?”
I then noticed the dog. The dog’s level of aggression truly astounded me; I could see it trying to snap at the horse’s belly. The legs were also being snapped by it.
In an effort to avoid the good Samaritans trying to stop it from tearing further chunks out of the horses’ rear legs, the pitbull keeps running back and forth.
Eventually, Lunar uses a strong defensive swing to push the dog away from him.
The dog is eventually picked up by Ian by the collar and swung away before the dog’s two owners scoop him up and go without so much as an apology.
The couple, who were “without any respect” for the horse, were described as being “terrible to behold” by Ms. Bishop.
I was astounded by how worthless the dog’s owners were; at one point, they tried to stop the dog, but it continued on for a very long time. She admitted to Daily Mail Australia that it was pretty confronting.
I was genuinely concerned that it might catch the horse.
A Parklands spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia that an investigation was being conducted into the event.
Dogs must be on a leash in all other sections of Grand Drive and are not permitted to be walked on the horse track, according to the statement.
“Fines may be levied while the investigation is ongoing.”
The dog’s owner has also been approached by Daily Mail Australia for comment.