Dog injects unwelcome bite into minister's election campaign

A BOISTEROUS dog injected extra bite into a Dáil candidate's election campaign by attacking him while canvassing.

Mayo TD Michael Ring, Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, sustained two puncture wounds in his left leg after one of a pair of terriers nipped him while ona  door to door canvass in the Geesala area.

Minister Ring was to attend a doctor for a tetanus injection as a precaution. However, the long serving Fine Gael Deputy, despite his ordeal, was in a good mood as he showed off his campaign 'wounds' to photographers in his native Westport.

“The dog survived and I survived,” he quipped.

Explaining the circumstances of the dog giving him a toothy No. I and No. 2, the minister added: “There were two terriers. One circled while the other pounced. The second one caught me unawares. He did the job and caught me just above the left ankle.”

Undeterred by his painful experience, Minister Ring was soon back on the hustings, insisting there was no bad feeling between him and the dog owners.

He mused: “Getting a nip from a dog is one of the hazards, I suppose, of every campaign trail.”