By Dionne Meehan
A CANCER patient, who only recently underwent major surgery, was the victim of last week’s serious dog attack in Fanad.
Richard Whitla, a Belfast native who has a holiday home in Fanad, walks Ballyhiernan Beach daily in a bid to regain fitness post-operation.
However, his walk took a dramatic turn last Monday, August 5, when he was attacked by a Collie dog at the entrance to the beach.
Speaking to the Donegal News after the incident, Richard said the attack came completely out of the blue.
“There was a couple sitting at the entrance to the beach with a dog but I didn’t think anything of it because there are a lot of people on the beach walking dogs.
“As I was going past, the dog just went for me,” he said.
Despite the dog being on a lead, it managed to savage Richard’s arm and legs resulting in him having to receive medical treatment.
“I knew the dog hurt my leg, but it wasn’t until I took my shorts off that I saw the damage it had managed to do even through the material of the shorts. I had a bite on my wrist and both of my thighs were sort of ripped open with its claws,” he said.
Luckily for Richard, one of his neighbours in Fanad is a district nurse.
“She was able to come down and dress the wounds.
“Then I went and got myself a tetanus injection in Letterkenny,” he said.
The dog’s owners, thought to be visitors to the area, seemed to disappear following the attack.
As Richard’s wounds now heal, he voiced his concerns.
“As a dog owner myself, I don’t want this to turn into a witch hunt where they have all these prohibited rules.
“I have had a Collie dog myself in the past and it was good natured. Yes it was full of energy, you couldn’t have tired the thing out, but never would I have thought of it going for anybody.
“A lot of people go down there with their kids and I have my own grandkids coming up to stay for a few days next week. They are four and three-years-old.
“Their faces would be right where the top of my legs were.
“The wounds will heal, but my concern is what if I would have had my grandkids with me or someone else comes down to the beach with a small child.
“They could have been disfigured for life,” he said.
For that reason and to protect everyone else, Richard lodged a statement with local gardaí.
Meanwhile, a garda spokesperson said: “Gardaí are making enquiries into an incident involving a dog in Fanad, Co. Donegal on Monday, August 5, 2024.”
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