Pit bulls maul, disfigure plumber

Pit bulls attacked an East Ruimveldt man early Monday morning, leaving him disfigured.

While Patrick Gordon, of Lot 610 East Ruimveldt is thankful that he is alive, he is angry at the owner of the dogs for not offering him proper compensation for his injuries, which include a gash across his face and puncture wounds about his body.

Patrick Gordon’s injured face

Gordon, a plumber, was offered $250,000 to settle the matter but he has refused. “They got to compensate me properly if they want to settle. They can’t come and give me that jokey money,” he told Stabroek News shortly after he was discharged from hospital. He also said that the police have not come to take a statement from him.

Stabroek News was unable to contact the owner, who has only been identified by the nickname ‘Sad Man.’ At the man’s home yesterday, the gate and house appeared locked and no one was in sight.

Neighbours said that the man was not home. There were several “Beware of dogs” signs on the fence.

Stabroek News was told that the dogs were involved in an attack in 2008, during which several persons were mauled, including two Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) workers.

Gordon said that the animals were ordered destroyed but it was never done since the animals disappeared. Recounting the events of Monday morning, he said that he was nearing his home after returning from “an oldies” when he heard a menacing growl.

He recalled that a big Pit Bull jumped out of an old car that was parked on the roadway.

This was about two houses away from his home.

Before he knew it, a small Pit Bull joined the attack and he began screaming for help. Around that time, Gordon said the owner came out and started to hold on to the bigger dog.

After several minutes, the owner was able to get both of the animals off Gordon, who was bleeding profusely from a cut that stretched from his left ear to his lip, gashes to his left hand which he had used to fend off the dogs, countless puncture wounds and bruises to other parts of his body.

According to Gordon, shortly after the incident the dogs’ owner and a neighbour took him to the Georgetown Hospital, where he was immediately admitted. As a result of the huge gash, which required many stitches, Gordon’s face has been left disfigured.

He added that while in hospital on Tuesday, the owner’s girlfriend came and offered him $250,000 compensation. “I tell she that that is joke money and she said that when ah mek up meh mind, she gon’ come back,” he said, adding that he has not seen the woman since.

During the conversation, the woman reportedly told Gordon that “if he (“Sad Man”) come, he gon tamper with evidence.” Gordon said that he wants to know what evidence she was talking about because as far as he knows he is the evidence.

The man added that if there is a compensation discussion he will ensure that he has witnesses with him.

He said that he is disappointed in the attitude of the owner, who is his neighbour and who he has known for some time.

“Those dogs were outside. They weren’t supposed to be there (on the road). I want to know what the law doing with this hey?” the infuriated man added.