Eyewitness recalls "savage" attack

Friday 29 November 2019

The man who ran to the rescue during a dog attack has recalled what happened, saying it was a brutal incident which has left him shocked and shaken.

Shane Gaudion - who is a fireman so has experience of dealing with intense situations - said he was at his home on Ruette de la Tour, which is the lane behind Saumarez Park leading down to the Rockmount, when he heard screaming yesterday lunchtime.

Mr Gaudion said he went outside to investigate because the screaming was "so high pitched, I didn't know if it was a child" and that the wails he could hear were "really distressing piercing screams." 

He said the incident was happening in the lane, not the play park at Saumarez Park at has been previously reported, and there was only a very small group of people there when he ran outside.

"I looked up the lane and saw a huddle of people - there were three people, and two dogs. I didn't know if the dog had a baby in its mouth - everything was moving, so you couldn't really see.

"I then went outside and when you get there you've got to deal with the situation in front of you, and deal with it the best you can, with the resources available to you. At my first look I could see the dog ( a Staffordshire bull terrier) had another dog in its mouth, and a lady's hand, which prevented me from getting my own hand in there as there wasn't room."

Pictured: File image of a Staffordshire bull terrier. 

The owner of the Staffordshire bull terrier wasn't there, but the lady whose hand was inside the dog's mouth is believed to have been the owner of the smaller dog also being gripped by the larger animal.

It's believed the Staffordshire bull terrier had escaped from a neighbour's garden, but the exact details of what happened aren't yet clear.

Mr Gaudion said he was most concerned with the distressing situation in front of him.

"I was trying to free the dog - I couldn't get my hand in its mouth to prise its mouth open, I was just trying my best to get the other dog away. We briefly did (free the smaller dog) but before we did anything else the dog (the staffie) had clamped on to another part of the (smaller) dog's body.

"We sort of pulled them apart but before you had a chance to reach the dog, it had another part of the dog's body so back to square one, you didn't get a chance to pick up the injured dog.

"The third time of separating them an elderly guy picked up the injured dog, but the staffie jumped back up and pulled him to the floor again."

Pictured: The initial reports of the dog incident said it happened at Saumarez Park, but it actually happened on Ruette de la Tour which is the lane behind the park. Guernsey Police initially said five people and two dogs were injured - they've now confirmed three people and one dog were injured. 

Mr Gaudion said it took almost ten minutes before he was able to restrain the dog, and then someone was able to call 999.

"I managed to pin this dog to the floor, and we separated them again and the lady was able to pick up the (smaller) dog and I had the (larger) dog pinned to the floor and at that point the other gentleman phoned JESCC and they said they'd send someone.

"It seemed a while, maybe ten minutes (before the police arrived). I also called them because the dog was wriggling, but I kept it pinned there until the police arrived and then they quickly called the armed response unit who were quick in getting there and once they got there, working with them I released my grip on the dog as they slipped a riot shield over the dog to keep it pinned to the floor where I had it.

"Once they had the dog pinned, I slipped away. They did an excellent job in taking control of the situation and keeping everyone away. 

"The dog handler unit turned up so at this stage we've got three police vehicles and the States Vet. There was just a small group of people there - the lady who had the dog which was attacked had left at this point to take her dog to the vet.

"It shakes you up, you just don't realise how strong these dogs are and the attack was so vicious and savage, it was a really brutal attack. You don't expect to witness it."

Pictured: Shane Gaudion with his wife Kelly, and their sons Rio and Luca. 

Mr Gaudion wasn't injured but said he was left with blood over him and his clothes. Guernsey Police have clarified three people were injured, not five as originally reported. 

"I was happy to assist the other people, and thankfully we managed to restrain the dog to prevent any further attacks. Thats the most important."

Pictured top: Shane Gaudion ran to assist during the dog attack, which happened on Ruette de la Tour behind Saumarez Park.