WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. A former Liverpool star was left needing more than 50 stitches after being mauled by a German Shepherd while walking his own dog.
Jermaine Pennant
Jermaine Pennant was taken to hospital after the attack. (Image: Instagram / Getty)
A former Premier League star has revealed that he was taken to hospital and needed more than 50 stitches in his leg following a dog attack. Ex-Liverpool and Arsenal winger Jermaine Pennant, 43, had to be rushed to A&E after the animal bit into his leg. He was ultimately rescued by his own dog, who sprang to his aid during the incident. The talkSPORT pundit explained he was walking his dog King, an American Atika, when he encountered another dog - an aggressive German Shepherd.
He has now opened up on the attack, stating: "It was really scary. The other dog had a go at King, so I stepped in to protect him.
"The next thing I know, it was attacking me. I was on the floor and it was on my leg for at least five seconds.
"I felt this huge pressure. Imagine the force of a dog bite."
"King jumped in to protect me. The two dogs were really going at it, and then King stood by my side until help arrived."
He told The Sun: "He saved my life. If King had been a smaller dog, there would have been no chance."
Pennant also wrote on Instagram: "So I was attacked by a German shepherd. I tried to protect King, but the dog got my leg. I was on the floor with the dog still attached, with no sign of letting go, until King intervened, as he didn’t know what was going on. But the minute he did he fought the dog off and saved what could’ve been an horrendous situation for me.
"King was unhurt with a little nip on his leg, but had blood covered all over him which wasn’t mine, at this point I forgot the agony I was in, and my heart sank, but it wasn’t kings. My hero. still protecting me and trying to look after me, KING you’re a legend love you, man’s best friend, thanks @mimmimontgomery for taking care of us both."
Pennant said that he was taking his pet for a walk in north London, with both dogs off the lead when they ran up to each other.
He was subsequently attacked by the animal, prompting his girlfriend, Mimmi Montgomery, to call him a taxi to a nearby A&E, where he received treatment for four bite wounds on his right leg and was given more than 50 stitches.
A close-up view of a lower leg with visible injuries, including blood stains and bruising, partially covered by a bandage. The l
Ex-Liverpool star mauled by dog as he says loyal friend 'saved his life' (Image: jermaine7pennant/instagram)
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However, he will not be reporting the matter to the police. Pennant added: "It's just one of those things. I'm fine, the dog's fine. It's all good."
The latest police-recorded figures for dog attacks reveal incidents have increased, rising from 16,040 in 2020 to 29,400 last year, up 83% per cent.
The actual number will be greater, as they exclude unreported cases.