A Stirling man was forced to fight off a 60kg dog in an attack that left him with a broken arm and needing surgery.
The Turkish Kangal mauled the man after owner James Lafferty left it chained up in a communal garden while he went to the shops.
The dog, called Zeus, broke free and was found by a child, wandering on Drip Road.
The boy returned the dog to Lafferty’s address but was unable to put the chain back on, leading the eventual attack victim to step in to help.
Victim knew dog
Fiscal depute Lucy Clarke told Stirling Sheriff Court the then-two-year-old dog was an “exceptionally large breed”, weighing “approximately 60kg”.
She said: “Due to its size the accused often kept it tethered to a washing pole in the communal garden.
“The garden was shared by four properties.”
She said it was around 3pm when the man found a boy trying to tie up the dog and he stepped in because he had known it since it was a puppy.
“He entered the garden and called the dog by name,” Ms Clarke added.
“The dog ran up to him and without warning lunged at him, biting him on the right wrist.
“He tried to get it off with his left hand before the dog bit his left wrist.
“The dog let go before biting him below the right elbow.
“The dog let go, the complainer fell to the ground.
“He managed to stop the dog attacking by pulling its rope tight and placing a foot on the dog’s neck.”
‘Bombproof’
The man was treated at Forth Valley Hospital for a broken right arm and given stitches, requiring surgery and an overnight stay.
When questioned by police, Lafferty, 62, told officers he had left the dog alone in the garden, claiming it was “bombproof”.
He told them: “He was all tied up and chained up when I left him.
“I went to the shops and was back 20 minutes later.
“I got a phone call saying he had bitten and I went back.
“The thing is bombproof. I don’t know how it got out there.”
Lafferty, of Menzies Drive, admitted culpably and recklessly chaining the dog to a post in the communal garden, whereby it broke free and repeatedly bit its victim on July 12 2023.
Sentence was deferred for reports.
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