Former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant says he needed more than 50 stitches after being mauled by a dog while walking his own two dogs in north London last week.
Jermaine Pennant (Credits: BBC Sport)
The 43-year-old was attacked by a German Shepherd, which latched onto his leg and refused to let go as he tried to protect his dog, King. Pennant told the Sun he sustained four bite wounds to his right leg and received hospital treatment, and he shared his account in a post on Instagram.
Jermaine Pennant Dog Attack: More Than 50 Stitches After Protecting King
According to Pennant, he ended up on the floor with the attacking dog still attached and showing no sign of letting go. The situation only changed when King intervened. Pennant credits his dog with fighting the German Shepherd off and preventing what he described as a potentially horrendous situation.
“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,” Pennant said. “But the minute he did he fought the dog off and saved what could’ve been a horrendous situation for me.”
King escaped with only a small nip on his leg, but was covered in blood that Pennant initially feared was his dog’s. “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 King’s,” he said.
Pennant Thanks King and Partner After Hospital Treatment
A photo shared on Instagram shows Pennant with a bandage on his leg alongside King on a sofa. In the post, he called King his hero and thanked his partner Mimmi Montgomery for looking after them both.
“My hero still protecting me and trying to look after me. King you’re a legend, love you, man’s best friend. Thanks Mimmi Montgomery for taking care of us both,” he wrote.
Pennant added that he declined to report the attack to police and did not give details about the German Shepherd involved. His focus, in his own telling, was on recovery and on the dog that came to his rescue.
Pennant, now a pundit for talkSPORT, made 231 Premier League appearances across a 19-year career before retiring in 2018, playing for clubs including Liverpool and Stoke City. The attack is a frightening reminder of how quickly an ordinary dog walk can turn dangerous — and, in Pennant’s words, of why he will always be grateful to the dog who refused to leave his side.
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
