Hunt for Japanese Akita that attacked woman in street

Kay Cossey, 29, is today recovering at home after the vicious attack by a Japanese Akita in a Hampshire street.

She could face further surgery for the deep wounds which went right through to the bone.

Kay and her husband, Mick, had gone out to buy a pint of milk at the Total filling station in Passfield Avenue, Eastleigh.

She saw the dog tied on a lead in a car park and went over to stroke it.

It showed no signs of distress but, as Kay walked away, the dog jumped and latched on to her arm. It was only when she screamed that the animal let go.

Mick was getting out of the car and sorting out some money when his wife ran back screaming “Get me to a hospital!”.

He said: “When I saw the arm you could see a huge chunk was missing and you could see bone and other deep cuts.

“There was blood everywhere. I ripped off my shirt and got her to tie it as tight as possible around her upper arm to slow the bleeding.

“I couldn’t think of anything else I was only concerned with getting her to hospital as fast as possible.”

Mick says that his wife has three main bite marks – two on top of her arm which are about one inch deep and one inch round.

Mr Cossey said: “The doctors had to cut the arm open further to ensure no damage had been done.

“The main damage is on the back of the arm where the bottom teeth went in. The wound covers an area of about 1.5 inches by three inches and is through to the bone.

“The whole section appears to be missing – in other words, the dog ate a portion of my wife’s arm. It is sickening.

Time will tell if Kay needs more operations.”

Japanese Akitas are not on the list of banned breeds.

Kay said: “I absolutely love dogs and I don’t like to see them being put down. But if this dog has attacked before it should be put down.

“After the dog attacked me I was shaking. When I got to hospital I went to theatre twice and I am going back to hospital for them to check the wounds.”

When she returned from hospital Kay was at first wary of her own dogs and is still recovering from her ordeal.

A police spokesman said that an investigation had been launched and added: “Lines of inquiry are being followed up.”

Police are particularly keen to hear from anyone who might have witnessed the incident which happened between 9.20pm and 9.30pm on Thursday, June 25. They should ring Eastleigh police station on 0845 045 4545.

Factfile

THE Japanese Akita is a large powerful dog which when fully grown can weigh up to 130lbs. With a courageous and dominant character, they were bred to fight bears and elks and protect the emperor’s children.

They are normally very calm but have a very strong bond to their families/packs. It is a bond that makes them both good family pets and likely to attack if they feel their family is under threat.