A man threw a chicken to stop a dog savagely ripping flesh from a woman’s body during a horror attack in Swindon, it has been revealed.
The American Bulldog, described as a 15-stone hellhound, mauled its victim at a house in Penhill Drive at atound 4pm on Good Friday (15 April).
Neighbour Gary Goodhall, 43, heard screams of agony coming from inside the property before kicking down the door and leaping into action – saving the woman’s life.
At first, he thought someone was being mugged but learned the large dog was wreaking havoc inside the house, so the ex-military man grabbed a first aid kit and kicked the front door in to search for the injured woman.
He said: “I was not expecting to run into a bloodbath but it was a surreal life-or-death situation and I could not have lived with myself if I’d done nothing.
“It was scary but the adrenaline kicked in, I went into tunnel vision and had to get in there. Oddly enough, I’d done a trauma first aid course the week before.”
The 43-year-old recalled seeing beast attacking its victim in the back garden and realised he could not safely tackle it – so he grabbed a chicken from the fridge and threw the food to the other end of the garden to distract the vicious animal.
The dog let go and began devouring the piece of poultry while Gary helped the woman reach the back door of the house. He tried to close the door, but the woman’s leg prevented it from shutting fully – and the dog leapt over her towards him.
He added: “It was horrendous, the dog looked like it was possessed, blood was squirting out of the lady’s legs, and it started attacking her again.
“There was a huge gash on her back, lacerations on her thighs and so many puncture wounds it looked like a shotgun blast.
“I managed to get the dog’s head into the cage then shoved the rest in as hard as I could. It was so angry, I worried it would break out.”
Gary screamed out for help so two of the people waiting outside went in to assist him while he provided first aid, bandaging and reassuring the victim as she went into severe shock.
