SAO PAULO NATIVE, LUIS EDUARDO, FIGHTS OFF CRAZED PITBULL TO PROTECT DAUGHTER AND OTHERS
Luis Eduardo, a Brazilian man who has called Limerick home for the past five years, bravely intervened in a horrific dog attack, putting his own life at risk to protect his daughter and bystanders.
The incident, which unfolded Tuesday evening in the Castletroy area, saw a pitbull mauling another dog while its owner desperately tried to stop it. Eduardo, playing with his daughter nearby, sprang into action upon hearing the screams.
“There I was, enjoying time with my daughter in front of the house,” Eduardo recounted to The Journal. “Suddenly, I heard a woman screaming and a small dog yelping in pain.”
Witnessing the horrifying scene on the greenway path, Eduardo saw the woman trying in vain to get the pitbull to release its grip on the smaller dog. Without hesitation, he rushed towards the commotion, his daughter close behind.
“I tried everything to get the pitbull to stop,” Eduardo explained. “First, I yelled and kicked at it, but the crazed dog wouldn’t budge. My biggest fear was it going after my daughter, so I knew I had to do something drastic.”
Eduardo’s actions, while momentarily distracting the pitbull, ultimately led it to refocus on the already injured puppy. In a desperate attempt to regain control, Eduardo and the woman resorted to further distractions. When a nearby cyclist failed to intervene, Eduardo knew a more drastic measure was needed.
“With no other option, I grabbed the pitbull around the neck in a chokehold,” Eduardo said. “The dog was incredibly strong, and it felt like a fight for my life. I begged the cyclist to help hold me steady, but he was too scared.”
Driven by the need to protect his daughter and the other children playing nearby, Eduardo held on for dear life.
“In that moment, all I could think about was my daughter and the safety of the other kids around,” Eduardo shared. “I knew if I didn’t stop this attack, it could have been much worse.”
Eduardo, along with his wife and other residents, called the gardaí, who are currently investigating the incident. Sadly, the pitbull did not survive the struggle.
“I never wanted the dog to die, but I had to stop it from attacking the children,” Eduardo emphasized.
This latest attack comes just weeks after the tragic death of 23-year-old Nicole Morey, coincidently from Limerick, the same city as this latest attack. Nicole was mauled by her own XL Bully dog. The gardaí have confirmed an ongoing investigation into the incident.
