Police call for responsible dog ownership after vicious attack in Sheffield leaves man hospitalised

South Yorkshire Police have released footage of a vicious dog attack in Sheffield, that left a man hospitalised, in an effort to urge dog owners to ‘step up and take action’.

Just after 5pm on Sunday (Sept 29) police received reports of two dogs causing injury to a man and a girl on Dagnam Crescent, in Sheffield.

It is alleged that the two dogs, believed to be a Mastiff and a Cane Corso, had escaped from a property on the street.

A local resident saw the dogs and put one of them on a lead.

As the man attempted to untangle the lead from one of the dog’s legs, they both became reactive and started to attack.

The victim, aged 47, suffered deep cuts and puncture wounds across his body and was taken to hospital via ambulance, requiring surgery.

He remains in hospital at this time.

A second victim, aged 14, suffered minor injuries from attempting to intervene.

Upon officers’ arrival, one dog had been tied to a lamppost.

The second dog remained on the loose and continued to pose a risk to the public.

Leading the work on dangerous dogs across South Yorkshire, Chief Inspector Emma Cheney said: “We are continuing to see people getting hurt in our communities by dogs, and an increase in demand, in responding and investigating incidents being placed on our force.

“During yesterday’s incident, we dispatched several firearms and response officers to the scene for everyone’s safety. The National Police Air Service were also overhead to monitor the loose dog, should it have run further from the scene.

“Two people were arrested and an investigation into the circumstances will now take place.

“The demand isn’t just on our force, but also on the NHS through ambulance responses and hospital treatment.

“Please take action. If you are a dog owner, think about your circumstances and what steps you can take to increase everyone’s safety. You may think ‘this won’t happen to me’ but it can happen to anyone and you as the owner will be the one responsible for your pet’s actions.”

Firearms officers secured the loose Mastiff in a garden but were unable to safely contain it, and the decision to humanely destroy the dog at the scene was taken.

A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of a dog dangerously out of control and obstructing a police officer has since been released on police bail.

A 39-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of a dog dangerously out of control. She has since been released on police bail.