The owner of two dogs that mauled a man in a Brisbane park on Friday evening has spoken out in their defence, claiming her dogs are not dangerous.
A 37-year-old man was mauled by two pit bulls in Seventh Brigade Park on Kittyhawk Drive in Chermside at around 6pm on Friday.
He was found by paramedics with life-threatening injuries to his arms, leg and face while the dogs fled the scene after police fired at them, which resulted in a police search involving aerial support.
One dog was located shortly after the search begun but one remained at large overnight before being found sleeping in the backyard of a residential address on Saturday morning.
The dogs’ owner Layla Evans spoke to 9News on Saturday afternoon, claiming her dogs Louis and Ruby are protective of her and her partner, but not aggressive.
“They’ll bark if you proceed to come in, (if) they feel like harm’s gonna be done to me or my partner then they will proceed to protect, but, apart from that, they’re really good dogs,” Evans said.
She said she lives in a tent with the dogs and had left them there while she went out for dinner with a friend, but somehow the pets escaped.
“The police told me, finally, that apparently they had got through the roof of the tent and then tore a hole, and that’s how that big hole ended up there,” Evans told 9News.
“And from there had proceeded to protect the campsite, I guess.
“My mother rung me to say she was with the police … and I had to come down, had to come down and try to find my dog.
“I walked all over town, I walked over the park, couldn’t find them anywhere.”
Witnesses reported hearing a woman yelling a dog’s name in a nearby street just after the attack, according to the Courier Mail.
Evans said she’s “shattered” by the event.
“Shattered, I’m shattered to bits.”
At the conclusion of the interview while 9News cameras were still present, police swooped in and arrested Evans in a dramatic escalation of events.
She was seen being dragged away in handcuffs before being taken in to custody but not charged.
On Sunday, a police spokesperson confirmed the arrest was for an unrelated matter.
The same spokesperson also said senior officers had reviewed the discharge of firearms when responding to the dog attack in Seventh Brigade Park.
“Attending officers were confronted with an immediate and serious safety risk and, after initial attempts to subdue the animals were unsuccessful, were required to discharge their service firearms in response to the risk posed to members of the community and others at the scene,” the spokesperson said.
“As with all police use of force incidents, the matter has been recorded and reviewed by senior officers in accordance with Queensland Police Service policy and procedures.”
A spokesperson for Brisbane City Council said both dogs were registered at the same address and had never previously been declared dangerous.
“Both dogs involved are now in council possession and a decision on their future will be made as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim of last night’s horrific dog attack.”
In a statement, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the council was taking the matter “extremely seriously”.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their neighbourhood and this horrific incident is a devastating reminder of why dog owners must take responsibility for keeping their pets safely secured,” he said.
The condition of the man attacked by the dogs has improved from critical to stable as he remains in hospital to recover.