- Police arrived at the man’s house in Herne, Germany at around 2am on Tuesday
- They said the dog ‘is about the size of a Jack Russell terrier’ and that while they were keeping lines of enquiry open, it was likely the cause of the injury
A man suffered a horrifying ordeal in Germany this week when his pet dog ‘about the size of a Jack Russel’ bit off his penis and ate it, police said.
Neighbours alerted the police early on Tuesday morning on account of the dog’s incessant barking coming from the man’s home at around 2am.
Upon arriving at the property – a single-family home in Herne, north-west Germany, the first responders heard pained groans coming from inside.
At this point, they broke down the door to find the 66-year-old man and his dog.
Police quickly realised the man’s life was in danger, and he was rushed to hospital.
According to German tabloid Bild, neither the man’s penis or ‘an instrument of the crime’ has been recovered from the scene so far.
The victim has also been unable to provide information himself due to his health.
According to officials, the most likely hypothesis being considered is that the dog was the cause of the man’s injuries.
First Police Chief Inspector Frank Lemanis told Bild that the man was put into an artificial coma upon his arrival at the hospital.
Lemanis, from the Bochum police, told the German tabloid: ‘The man has been put into an artificial coma by the doctors. We hope we can interview him soon.
‘One hypothesis, of course, is that the dog, which is about the size of a Jack Russell terrier, bit off the penis and ate it. The wound could also be a bite wound.
‘But it’s also possible a sex accident or a crime,’ he posited.
Although the incident occurred on Monday night, police are going public with the sensitive case now in an appeal for witnesses.
Bild reported that a murder squad has picked up the case in order to ‘clear up the crime, which has so far been completely open.’
Should the police chief’s hypothesis be correct, it would not be the first time such an incident has been reported.
In 2012, German outlets reported that a 61-year-old Austrian man was attacked by a loose dog which also bit his genitals.
The man had been working on his bike when he was attacked.
He was also rushed to hospital, where – after an operation that lasted several hours – surgeons were able to save the man’s genitals.
The dog and its owner were never found.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
