Ex-Premier League star Jermaine Pennant has admitted he feared for his leg after a dog attack left him requiring 50 stitches.
The former Liverpool winger had been walking his own dog – an American Akita named King – when he was pounced on by a German shepherd.
Pennant said it came after he ‘stepped in to protect’ King when the other dog ‘had a go at him’, only for the footballer to eventually be attacked himself.
The 43-year-old’s dog intervened to help protect him with Pennant eventually able to travel to hospital to have his wounds treated.
Pennant revealed pictures on Monday which showed that his right shin had been left bloodied and scarred in the aftermath of the incident.
‘I was fearing for my leg. I knew it was bad, but I couldn’t see it because my trousers were stuck to it,’ Pennant told talkSPORT.
Jermaine Pennant, 43, has admitted he feared for his leg after a brutal dog attack left him requiring 50 stitches
The ex-Liverpool midfielder was attacked by a German Shepherd while walking his American Akita, named King
Pictures shared by the talkSPORT host showed large wounds on his left shin
‘I just thought: “This isn’t good”. My first thought was “is King okay” my next thought was I need to get to A&E as soon as possible.
‘I then got to A&E and they gave me a Tetanus jab straight away and all the necessary antibiotics.
‘Tomorrow I have an appointment with a plastic surgeon as one of the wounds, there’s a lot of skin gone and it’s like a crater, and you can’t stitch that as there’s no skin to pull it together.
‘So they’re going to see if it can heal, if not, they’re going to have to do a skin graft.
‘Hopefully there’s no lasting damage. I’ll have a scar wound and if it is a skin graft then that will be there for the rest of my life and my tattoo is ruined.’
‘I can walk, that’s the good news, and there’s no pain.’
Pennant added that he has since been on a couple of walks with his dog since the attack, while he has thanked King for protecting him.
In an emotional Instagram caption accompanying a picture of him embracing his dog, Pennant wrote: ‘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 as he didn’t know what was going on.
Pennant later thanked his dog for ‘saving his life’ in a heartfelt Instagram post
‘But the minute he did he fought the dog off and saved what could’ve been an horrendous situation for me.
‘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 kings.
‘My hero still protecting me and trying to look after me, KING you’re a legend love you, man’s best friend, thanks for taking care of us both.’
Pennant said he has no intention of reporting the matter to the police.
There were some 29,400 cases of out-of-control dog attacks last year, marking a rise of 83 per cent on the 16,040 recorded in 2020.
Pennant retired from football at the age of 35 in 2018 following a 17-year career.
The 43-year-old made 231 Premier League appearances during stints with Stoke, Liverpool, Birmingham City, Leeds United, Portsmouth and Arsenal.
