A MAN WAS hospitalised yesterday after being attacked by a dog on the restricted breed list in Co Donegal.

The man was jogging on the greenway on the Inishowen Peninsula, when he was set upon by the dog after midday.

The dog, understood to be a Rottweiler, was being walked on a lead by its owner at the time but was not muzzled at the time of the attack.

It managed to break free from its owner and chased the man before biting him a number of times on the leg.

The victim, who is in his 20s, was rushed to Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry where he underwent emergency treatment.

It is understood that gardaí have this morning identified the dog at the centre of the incident.

Gardaí have now launched an investigation into the incident.

A Garda spokesperson confirmed that the force was alerted to a report of a man who was bitten by a dog yesterday morning, and that while the man received medical attention, his injuries are not life threatening.

Local County Councillor Terry Crossan said he is horrified by the attack.

The veteran Sinn Féin politician said people need to take full responsibility for their dogs.

“I want to pay particular praise to the gardaí in dealing with this situation and taking control of it once they realised the seriousness of this incident.

“This man was lucky to escape even though his injuries are very serious.

“If this was a child the consequences could have been much worse and it’s not even worth considering that,” he said.

Councillor Crossan said he now plans to bring forward a motion to Donegal County Council surrounding the area of dog control and dog warden services in the county.

The attack comes less than two weeks after a 23-year-old woman died in a dog attack in Co Limerick.

Nicole Morley died after being attacked by her own XL Bully dog when she entered her home after being out celebrating her birthday.