Over the weekend, people have been left horrified by images of a bloodied Staffordshire terrier circulating online following an incident in a Melbourne park, which sadly led to the death of a dachshund.
On Tuesday, Kashila Chintamunnee's dachshund, named Coco, escaped from their home with the family's two other dogs in Pakenham and ran into the local park. Coco ran into the path of Claudia Harrison and her young son, as they were walking her staffy, called Hero.
Sadly, the dogs became embroiled in a mauling, and Coco was killed by Hero.
The devastated families speak out below:Ms Chintamunnee took to social media to say that Coco was mauled to death in an unprovoked attack, but Ms Harrison disputes this, saying that Hero was defending himself after the three dogs aggressively approached them.
Ms Chintamunnee shared her version of events on social media, along with pictures showing her blood-soaked dress and Hero covered in blood. She said: "He started mauling my dog. The dog had bitten too deep into Coco’s main vessel as he had lost that much blood…I was drenched in his blood that’s how much there was."
After visiting two vets that were closed, Coco sadly died before they could reach a third.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ms Harrison says Hero is not to blame:
"There’s a sign saying dogs are supposed to be on leads, but all of a sudden I heard dogs barking from behind. The smaller dogs kept snapping at my dog…that’s when he got hold of one of them and I couldn’t get him off. There was no one in sight… I tried to take the dog off.
"I was looking after my son… he was a bit more important than the dog mine was latched onto.
"I feel sorry, but at the same time I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, how am I supposed to protect my son and my dog?"
Despite being unclear, CCTV footage does appear to show the dachshund approach the staffy first:On behalf of his "traumatized" wife, Claudia's husband Paki Harrison said: "My son and I were taking our dog for a walk up the hill near the lake; three dogs approached us from behind - two smaller dogs and one larger dog.
"The larger dog started to bark excessively and I tried to get my son behind me to keep him safe. I pulled my dog away at the same time. My dog was on his lead with a harness. I looked around but there was no owner in sight, and I was worried for my son.
"I yelled and tried to signal for nearby help but there wasn't anyone. At this stage I couldn't keep the dogs away from my dogs or keep my son safe."
Despite the ongoing quarrel, a woman by the name of Emma McLean has started a petition on Change.org to stop authorities from putting Hero to sleep.
Titled "SAVE HERO THE STAFFY FROM BEING PUT DOWN", McLean writes: "My aim here is to urge the Cardinia Council to NOT put this poor dog to sleep, This is a tragic incident but Hero was NOT the instigator, CCTV footage has shown what really happened!! As well as witnesses stating this was not the fault of Hero or his owner. Hero was defending HIMSELF and HIS FAMILY against 3 dogs attacking him.
"Let's not make an already heartbreaking tragedy worse by putting a dog to death for defending himself and his family."
As of this writing, more than 140,000 have signed the petition.