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Dog walker tells of shocking park attack: Japanese Akita dog 'threw me to the ground like a paper bag'

THE man was attacked after lifting his own dog, Bodie, up out of harms way after the Akita made a move to harm the cocker spaniel.

Brian Rennick and Bodie (left) were attacked by an Akita (bottom right) and Brian was left with a 2.5" gash on his arm (top right).
Brian Rennick and Bodie (left) were attacked by an Akita (bottom right) and Brian was left with a 2.5" gash on his arm (top right). (Image: Daily Record/Victoria Stewart)

A JAPANESE Akita mauled a man as he tried to protect his dog.

Brian Rennick, 47, was savaged as he held cocker spaniel Bodie.


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Brian, 47, said: “The dog looked like it was really going to go for Bodie so I lifted him up out of harm’s way.

“The dog then turned on me. It jumped up to my face and I flinched away.

Brian Rennick speaks to the record with Bodie the Cocker Spaniel on his couch
Brian Rennick speaks to the record with Bodie the Cocker Spaniel on his couch(Image: Daily Record/Victoria Stewart)

“It then grabbed my arm and threw me to the ground like a paper bag. The men with it ran over and put it on the lead then said, ‘There is no damage here’, before making off.”

But when Brian rolled up his sleeve, he realised he had a two-and-a-half-inch gash on his arm. He told our sister paper the Hamilton Advertiser: “What would have happened if I wasn’t wearing that jacket?”

Brian, of Hamilton, was treated at Hairmyres hospital in East Kilbride.


The gash on Brian's arm caused by a bite from the Akita
The huge gash on Brian's arm caused by a bite from the Akita

The attack happened at Motherwell Beach in Strathclyde Park at 5.40pm on Monday.

Police appealed for witnesses.

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