A six-month-old puppy named Mars is being hailed as the "hero of the day" after his loud bark distracted a knife-wielding attacker, giving a father just enough time to carry his five-year-old son to safety in Brighton.
The drama unfolded on Sillwood Street, a short walk from the city's famous beach, at around 6pm on Saturday evening. A 33-year-old man had already allegedly slashed a 29-year-old man's face and ear, and punched a 28-year-old taxi passenger in the eye, before he turned his attention toward a father walking with his son and their puppy.
“Puppy Mars distracted a knifeman in Brighton, allowing a father to carry his five-year-old son to safety.”
The father, who was holding his son in his right arm and Mars on a lead in his left hand, had been heading to the Meeting Place Cafe for bubblegum ice cream. He spotted the man running alongside a taxi. "A man was holding the taxi window open and running with the car which was unusual," he said. "The taxi accelerated down the street so he had to let go. Then he looked like he was looking for the next person to attack. He was waving the knife, which was very big, approaching us and shouting something."
With both hands occupied, the father said he was in a vulnerable position and was forced to let go of Mars to find safety. "I grabbed my son and ran with him to Uncle Sam's burger restaurant," he said. "I was fortunate because the attention shifted for two seconds towards the dog, who he started shouting at."
Those few seconds were enough. The father got his son to safety and returned to find Mars surrounded by a crowd. "When I got back Mars was shaking, and was surrounded by 12 people with blood all over his fur," he said. "People were worried about the dog and thought he should go to the vet. I was worried Mars had been killed but luckily he wasn't hurt."
Mars was unharmed, but the suspect had been wrestled to the ground by heroic members of the public who held him until police arrived. An onlooker who feared being attacked said his dog was the "hero of the day."
The 29-year-old victim who was slashed was taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries and later discharged. The 28-year-old taxi passenger, who was hit through the window, said: "I was in a taxi coming back from my friend's house and the taxi pulled up and a guy out of nowhere came through the taxi window and hit me in the eye, it hurt loads and my eye felt really weird. I didn't know what happened and the taxi driver said, 'You've got blood all over you.' He said, 'We're not stopping here,' and drove me to hospital. Everyone was telling me 'he's got a knife' and I could see it in his hand. I was just lucky it wasn't worse."
Back home, the father rewarded his puppy with a large beef bone. "I gave Mars a large beef bone yesterday evening after the incident, he loves bones," he said. The puppy, on his own for the first time, had used his bark to distract an attacker—and in doing so, saved a little boy.