Brave Omani schoolboy fights off stray dogs after being attacked

Abdullah Saeed Al Raisi, 11, was rescued by a school bus driver

Abdullah Al Raisi escaped unhurt after being attacked by the animals near his home in Al Buraimi governate. Photo: Saeed Al Raisi

A brave Omani boy fought off a pack of stray dogs after being attacked by the animals as he waited for his school bus on Thursday.

Abdullah Al Raisi, 11, a resident of Al Buraimi governorate in the north-west of the country, was walking from his home to the bus stop on the main road when the incident happened.

“It was around 6:30am on Wednesday when the dogs attacked my son," Saeed Al Raisi, Abdullah's father, told The National.

"He was really scared but defended himself. He kept pushing the dog’s head as it tried to bite him. Thankfully, the dogs only managed to tear his kandura,” Mr Al Raisi said.

"Finally, a bus driver came and helped."

A surveillance camera in a nearby house recorded the attack and showed the boy screaming for help as he defended himself.

In the footage, which is being shared on social media, Abdullah can be seen falling to the ground but he grabbed a dog by his neck and held it back.

Abdullah fought the strays off until a school bus driver came to help him.

The video then shows the bus moving on its own after the driver forgets to pull the handbrake.

Mr Al Raisi, a father of four, said it was difficult to watch the video.

“I was on the street and saw the boy on the ground and dogs all over him. He was yelling for help and I stopped the bus to rescue the boy," Mr Al Belooshi in an Instagram post.

“I'm happy that someone came to help and he was unhurt."

Nasser Al Belooshi, the bus driver who helped, was honoured by Abdullah’s school as thanks.

“We used to see a few stray dogs in the area but recently their numbers increased. Many have complained to the authorities and they have promised to put an end to the problem," he said.