Gerard Butler has hit back after a woman accused him of lashing out following a vicious fight between the pair's dogs.
Butler's unleashed pet Lolita bumped noses with Maria Vareckas' greyhound when the pair were out walking their dogs in New York on Monday afternoon (24Aug09), sending the animals into attack mode.
Vareckas has accused the actor of "verbal abuse", insisting Butler flew into a rage and slammed her dog's head against a nearby fence.
Vareckas tells the New York Post, "(He was) shouting, 'That dog should be put down!' I said, 'Your dog should be put on a leash.' He kept on going and going, ranting and raving... He was being verbally abusive. (He) walks back, ranting and raving still and pointing, saying, 'You know what? You know what? This dog should be put down!' And he smacked the dog in the head.
"The dog's head went into the fence. I was shaking. The dog yelped. I said, 'Keep your hands off my dog! Why did you hit my dog?' He didn't say a word."
However, Butler has denied the allegation, insisting he spent four hours at a Manhattan animal hospital while vets tended to Lolita's wounds.
A spokesperson for the actor says, "What happened was, Gerry was walking his dog, Lolita, who is this little, small pug, a teeny thing. You can hold her in one arm, she's that small. Then, suddenly, this greyhound, this huge, menacing dog, bites Lolita.
"She (Maria Varecka) and Gerry then have words... the dog again goes over to Lolita and takes another bite. They (the greyhound's owners) don't have it trained. They don't know what they're doing with their dog. People are so mean. They're just trying to milk this."
According to New York Police Department officials, no citations were issued in the incident and a complaint has not been filed against the actor.
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