Pit bull savages small dog to death

August 1998

Wexford shoppers were horrified on Saturday when an unmuzzled pit bull terrier savagely killed a Jack Russell on Main Street.

Mothers with young children stood back aghast as the pit bull lunged at the smaller dog, caught it by the throat, and viciously shook it to death.

The umuzzled dog, which had been brought downtown by a teenager who was using a leather belt as a leash, went ‘berserk’ when it saw the small dog walking without a lead at lunchtime on Saturday.

The pit bull proved to be stronger than the teenager leading it, as it broke free from his handler’s grip before attacking the smaller dog.

Bystanders shouted at the animal to free the smaller dog, and workmen at The Goal Bar came out with planks and struck the pit bull in an effort to release the smaller dog.

One man straddled the dog and used the belt, which remained around its neck, to temporarily choke the dog and force him to release the Jack Russell. However, by this time, the smaller dog was already dead.

Gardaí were quickly present at the scene of the incident, and the pit bull was removed from the Main Street within minutes of the attack.

According to one eye witness, the attack was the most horrifying thing she had ever seen. ‘The pit bull had no muzzle on,’ she said. ‘It could just have easily been a small child it attacked.’