Man (35) needs to undergo skin graft surgery after mauled by dogs
WARNING: GRAPIC FOOTAGE: He sustained severe injuries to his left upper arm as well as his right calf.
A 35-year-old Pretoria man has to undergo skin graft surgery on Wednesday after he was attacked by two dogs.
Patrick Riley, who stays on a Lusthof plot near Hammanskraal, Pretoria, sustained bite wounds to parts of his body where pieces of skin were ripped off after he was attacked by a bull terrier and a rottweiler.
He sustained severe injuries to his left upper arm as well as his right calf.
The incident happened around 10:30 last week as Riley was on his way to a local supermarket to buy groceries when the dogs attacked him.
He is currently in Life Eugene Marais Hospital where he has already been to the theatre twice to clean his wounds.
According to Riley, he rents a house on a plot which includes other homes including the main house.
“There are two houses on the plots’ yard where I rent one of the houses and my brother-in-law stays in the second house. I use the owner’s main gate for access.”
The houses are not separated by any fences.
He said he has not opened a case with the police, because he has been in hospital since the incident.
He sought legal advice and planned to file a claim of R1-million against the owner.
“The claim will mainly involve pain and suffering, loss of income as well as the time I spend in hospital as well as my medical income.”
Owner JJ van Wyk said he was aware of the incident, but said he has warned Riley in the past not to “tease” his dogs.
Also read: Six-year-old dies after Pitbull attack in Vergenoeg informal settlement
“The one dog is aggressive, but will only attack an unknown person or someone who is teasing him.
“I do not say what happened to Patrick is right, but I refuse to get rid of my dogs or to put them down,” said Van Wyk.
Van Wyk mentioned that he will make a financial contribution to put a side gate between Riley and his side of the plot.
“What happened to him was unfortunate, but nowadays one cannot afford not to have dogs to protect yourself – especially on the plots,” he said.
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