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| Pauline Burgess cradles her dog Toby |
During the attack two young women tried to pull the bigger dog – believed to be a cross between a staffordshire bull terrier and a german shepherd – away as blood ‘poured like a tap’ from Toby’s wounds in Dorchester’s Borough Gardens.
But by the time the larger dog let go, Toby fell to the ground and he died in Mrs Burgess’s arms.
She said: “He didn’t stand a chance, the other dog was so big – it’s like a bad dream.”
Shocked families raised fears about a child being hurt if large dogs in the park are not kept under their owner’s control.
Mrs Burgess, 61, of Sydling Saint Nicholas, was having a coffee at the café in the Borough Gardens before the attack. She said: “He had him hanging in his mouth and I was screaming.
“He was on a lead but he was so big and strong the two girls couldn’t pull him off.
“Toby was squealing and I was literally screaming in panic.
“They eventually got him off and Toby collapsed on the ground.”
Mrs Burgess called her friend Darren Dougherty who arrived in his car and took Mrs Burgess, the two girls and Toby in his car while the dog who had attacked him was taken away by the rest of the girls’ family.
She said Toby was 10 years old and well known by a lot of people in Dorchester.
Mrs Burgess added: “I eventually got him to the vets but he died in my arms.
“The other dog could’ve killed a child. The blood was pouring out like a tap.”
Workers at the café and families who had tried to help then cleaned the blood off of the path as it was next to the entrance to the play area.
Liz House, 36, was at the park for her son Marvin’s first birthday party. She said: “I was cleaning up the blood because I don’t want kids running in it.
“She had the Jack Russell on a lead but the other dog shook it like a rag doll. She was screaming and screaming but the other one would not let go.”
Onlookers said the family that owned the dog packed up their belongings with the large dog’s lead then being held by a boy.
Miss House added: “My son Marvin was crawling around on the grass.”
After her dog had died, Mrs Burgess’ son Gary arrived from his home in Weymouth. He said: “What if it had been a child?”
And Mrs Burgess friend Mr Dougherty said: “It’s not good enough that people can walk around with dogs when they don’t know how to handle them.”
(Doset Echo - May 23, 2011)
Update to Story:
