Attempts to stop dogfight injure two
Two men were injured trying to separate their fighting dogs yesterday afternoon (Tues).The dog owners suffered various injuries as they tried to stop their canines a terrier and a wolfhound from fighting after an encounter in Sonnberg near Liezen, Styria.The men aged 58 and 68, who did not know each other, were bitten by the animals in the incident. While the younger dog owner had to be hospitalised with severe biting wounds, the other man got away with less serious injuries.Both men face negligent bodily harm charges, local police announced today.Only last Saturday, a three-year-old girl was seriously injured by a Labrador-crossbreed in Harmisch, Burgenland.Around 5,900 people are hospitalised in Austria following dog attacks every year, according to the Federal Committee for Traffic and Leisure Time Safety (KfV).Critics have attacked political decision-makers for failing to set up standardised dog-keeping laws for the whole country as all of Austrias nine provinces have a different legal framework regarding the issue.Dog owner pressure groups meanwhile claim that the number of attacks would be significantly lower if people would respect the leash-or-muzzle rule as in effect in most political regions of Austria.