A woman whose arm was brutally torn off by her own dog says she doesn’t blame the animal for the horrific attack that nearly cost her life.
Annmarie Walters, 34, from Garbutt, a suburb of Townsville in northern Queensland, was attacked by her dog, Buddy, on October 11.
Ms Walters said Buddy got startled when a neighbour suddenly kicked the door of her Lonerganne Street home.
‘I grabbed him, and he bit me on my left arm. I shouted at him, and he let go – but something outside, maybe all the yelling, must’ve triggered him again because he locked onto my right arm, and I knew it was bad,’ she told the Townsville Bulletin.
In a desperate effort to help, a neighbour threw a knife over the fence, but Buddy became increasingly aggressive.
‘He went full-blown psychotic. I’ve never seen a dog like it. He pulled three times backwards, and then the arm came off. I was quite relieved when it came off, the pain was excruciating.’
Ms Walters was left fighting for her life in the front yard, blood pouring from her arm, while neighbours retreated inside their homes.
She was able to call paramedics after kicking off her shoes and dragging her phone closer with her foot.
Annmarie Walters, 34, (pictured) was viciously attacked by her dog Buddy (pictured centre) at her home in Garbutt, a suburb of Townsville, in northern Queensland, on October 11
Ms Walters (pictured) says she isn’t angry at Buddy and revealed her heartbreak over not being able to save him before he was put down
Emergency services rushed to the scene and discovered Ms Walters with a severed forearm, and shot the dog dead.
Her forearm was later recovered in the hope that surgeons could reattach it.
However, the damage was too severe, making reattachment impossible.
Ms Walters explained that she wasn’t angry at Buddy and expressed her heartbreak over not being able to save him before he was put down.
Paramedics rushed to the scene at the time of the attack (pictured) and discovered Ms Walters with a severed forearm before she was rushed to hospital to receive emergency surgery
‘He guarded his property and it cost him his life – he’s an animal. Animals snap. Sometimes they get angry, he got angry at a stranger and accidentally got me,’ she said.
The dog, which was a mix of Bull Arab, Ridgeback, and Dingo, was purchased from a backyard breeder, and she suspects that this is where its aggressive behavior originated.
Ms Walters is now advocating for stricter laws to clamp down on backyard breeding in the state.
