Man Escapes Fatal Dog Attack by Millimeters
A Huddersfield man was hospitalized after a neighbor's dog attacked his neck, with doctors stating a mere millimeter could have been the difference between life and death.
Farzad Housseinpour, 42, is recovering after a harrowing encounter on September 28 when a neighbor's Cane Corso dog lunged at him. The attack occurred as Housseinpour was taking his own dog out for a walk. He managed to dislodge the animal, but sustained a significant bite to his neck, describing the scene as "blood everywhere."
Following the incident, police were called and Housseinpour was transported to the hospital. Medical professionals treated his injuries, informing him that the bite had come perilously close to a major artery. Doctors reportedly told him that if the bite had been "1mm deeper it would have hit a major artery and potentially killed him."
Housseinpour received a rabies vaccine, a course of penicillin, and a single stitch in his neck wound, with the sides left open for drainage. He underwent a CT scan to assess the extent of the injuries.
Despite an apology from his neighbor and an agreement for the dog to be muzzled, Housseinpour expressed fear of returning to his home, which shares a garden with the neighbor. He stated, "I’m too scared to go back to my house," and added that the experience has left him anxious and on medication.
"It’s all been traumatising, from morning to night I’m thinking about it, my mood has changed and I just feel I’m not safe around anything," Housseinpour said.
He recounted the moment of the attack: "I came out of my house at around 10am to take my dog out. It’s just a routine for me, but I realised I had forgotten my phone. I went back to get it, and when I left again, I saw straight away it was there."
His own dog, a Rottweiler mixed with a German Shepherd, reportedly tried to intervene. "My dog came to me, she’s a lovely dog, and she knew something was wrong. But she couldn’t stop my neighbour’s dog. She just grabbed my neck. It was like he was hunting a cow or something, she was trying to kill me."
West Yorkshire Police investigated the incident, which occurred in a shared communal garden. A police statement indicated that the dog's owner was spoken to, apologized, and agreed to measures to ensure the dog is controlled in the future. The victim was consulted and reportedly agreed to this resolution. However, Housseinpour expressed doubt about the long-term effectiveness of these measures and feels the police are not taking the situation seriously enough.
He is currently staying with his brother and is reluctant to return home, concerned about future incidents. "This dog has a taste of my blood, what about next time?" he questioned. "I live alone, but now no one will visit me if I return home, because they’re all just as scared as me of the dog."
Another neighbor corroborated the fear, stating, "We’re all living in fear. It’s a huge dog. We’ve been living in fear for months and the police aren’t taking it seriously."