A vicious dog attack in Co Cork left a man with serious facial wounds.
The attack took place on Tuesday evening on Harbour Row in Cobh.
Paraig de Faoite was just a few doors down from his home when he was brutally bitten on the face.
Paraig, a life-long dog lover, was simply admiring a dog who was passing on the lead of a teenage boy when a trigger word prompted the attack.
He told Cork Beo : "I've always been one to say 'hello' to every dog I pass and I was just doing the same the other night. I always ask the owner and I get down on my knees to let the dogs know I mean no harm and if there's any slight sign of hesitation or tension then I don't.
"There was this beautiful dog who looked like a cross between a boxer and a mastiff and he was being walked by a teenager, around the age of 14.
"I got on my knees and he seemed placid enough. I started rubbing the dog's face and then, suddenly, the teenager said 'attack!'
"The dog was maybe six inches away from my face and luckily I stumbled backwards because the lead was quite short and he couldn't do any more damage.
"I looked up, in shock, and the teenager was just stood there smiling."
Gardai are aware of the incident but could not comment on an ongoing investigation and CCTV is currently being examined as two cameras outside the credit union point directly to where the attack took place.
Paraig is still nursing the nasty injuries from the attack and while he continues to be a dog lover, he felt he had to highlight the incident because of the possibility of something similar happening to a child in the area.
"I was left with six puncture marks down one side of my face but, really, I was lucky not to lose an eye or my nose," Paraig continued.
"I went to South Doc on the night and then I had to get a tetanus shot.
"In hindsight, I should maybe have spent more time examining the teenager than the dog before I approached them but it's illegal. A 14-year-old cannot have control over a dog like that and the dog also didn't have a muzzle over its mouth.
"I will still walk around saying 'hi' to dogs but this needs to be highlighted because after hearing about the attack on me, a mother got in touch and told me that she and her little child were walking by 20 minutes beforehand and spotted the same dog and the same teenager. It could have been them."
