00:00The doctor told me that I am very lucky to be alive.
00:06Stitches too many to count and bandages wrapped on three limbs
00:11tell the story of how 77-year-old great-grandfather of six Ramraj Dukanti
00:17was viciously attacked by two dogs on Friday, March 6th, around 2.45pm.
00:24While playing with his pet dog Macy on Thursday, he recounted the events.
00:29He says he was walking out his Hill Peace Road, Philippine Street
00:33to get a taxi bound to pick up his car from his mechanic
00:37when he was pushed to the ground by two dogs.
00:41I wasn't aware that there were two dogs out there
00:45and the guys, they leave the gate open and the two dogs were by the gate.
00:52And while I was walking out, just before I reached the gap,
00:55both of them run out on me and not knowing, unexpectedly,
01:00that they started jumping on me and biting on me.
01:04But he was coming from, one of the dogs was coming from my throat,
01:07but I put my hand and then he started biting on this hand.
01:12Blood, he says, was gushing from his wounds and after what felt like five minutes of struggling,
01:18he says two men from a nearby bar came to his rescue.
01:23One threw stones and another sprayed a fire extinguisher,
01:26which made the dogs finally let go and run off.
01:30The owner, he says, then approached as he was being assisted off the roadway.
01:35Oh, God. Well, I was thinking, well, now I die, I'm dead.
01:40You know, because two dogs and they had big, sick birds, it was bleeding a lot.
01:45And all the guys told me, the owner, the dog, uncle, I hope I wish you well and I see
01:52you again.
01:53That's all I heard from him.
01:54And up to now, they never came, they never come and say anything to me or nothing.
01:59He was taken by ambulance to the San Fernando General Hospital, where doctors worked on him.
02:05I can't count stitches.
02:07If I would have counted almost about 50-something stitches.
02:11Right through the hand.
02:12If you look here, you're going to see stitches here.
02:16Look, all on the, you see stitches?
02:19Look, all here is stitches.
02:21Right through here, all here is stitches.
02:24Right through, oh, I have a big hole.
02:26And you wouldn't believe.
02:28Up till now, I still feel like, like when I lie down in my bed, just sick, I still feel
02:34like I see a dog and then comment about me.
02:37Ducanti says he's still very much traumatized.
02:41Apart from the intense body pains, he's unable to get proper sleep.
02:46And the medication he says he's on is costly.
02:49What's worse, he says, one week later, he feels the police have done little to nothing to bring him justice.
02:56I would like the police to come and, you know, do something about it.
03:01But the thing is, this attack wasn't me alone.
03:05If you walk around in this village and you find out about those dogs, the neighbor in the back would
03:11attack.
03:12The guy's name is Terry.
03:14Next door neighbor here would attack.
03:16I want them to, either way, remove them or put them down.
03:23We spoke to three different residents who all confirmed previous incidents involving the dogs.
03:30They, too, want something more to be done following Friday's attack.
03:35Ducanti tells us he was born in Trinidad but migrated to Florida where he worked and then retired.
03:40He was on a two-week visit to his Philippine property and due to return to the U.S. last
03:46Monday.
03:47But with Friday's attack, his stay has extended indefinitely while he continues treatment and pursues legal options.
03:56Cindy Raghubatika Singh, TV6 News.
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