A woman who was forced to run into neck deep mud in Sydney to escape attacking dogs last week has spoken publicly for the first time since the ordeal.
Elle Booth, 34, says she is “lucky to be alive”, but her Jack Russell dog Indi was injured and died on Monday after suffering several heart attacks.
“I thought that I was going to die,” she told 7News.
“I thought those dogs were going to kill me and they did kill my little dog.”
Booth and Indi were chased by two Irish wolfhounds on Monday, which lead to Indi seeking refuge in a creek. Booth ran after her, resulting in her being trapped in the bog.
“It was heart breaking,” she said.
“She was killed in my arms.”
Booth has already had surgery on her hands and will require more, after receiving puncture wounds to her face, neck, arms, hands and legs.
Booth’s husband Tom said “they were circling her, which is pretty intense, coming in and taking chunks out of Indi and out of her.”
He says that the owner of the two attacking dogs was there with a hunting whistle but offered no assistance to call the dogs off.
A local who saw the attack unfold called the police, who needed pepper spray to call the dogs off.
Police worked with the local council and the dogs have been seized. The council will decide what happens to the animals.
Police are still searching for the owner, but says they may face jail time and fines of up to AUD$20,000 (NZD$21,500).
“I hope he takes responsibility for what’s happened to my dog and what’s happened to me,” Booth said.
“I genuinely am lucky to be alive. If they had decided to attack me, I could’ve died.”
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