Valerie Clarke faces a bill in excess of £1,000 after her nine-month old whippet Missy had to have its right leg amputated following the horrific incident.
The 40-year-old was taking her dog for a walk along Harpers Lane in Chorley near the popular recreation ground when a dog she described as ‘bull terrier’ ran across the road and ripped Missy’s leg out of its socket.
Valerie, of Old Bridge Way, said: “I could not believe it because I saw the dog walking off its lead in the distance but it did not look vicious.
“All of a sudden I looked around and the dog had hold of her leg.
“It was the worst few moments of my life. I did not know what to do, as I was not going to put my hand near it in case it grabbed me. It had hold of Missy and was shaking her like a toy.
“I was quite lucky that there were two passers-by – one of them stopped and got out of the car to help get the other dog off Missy.
“All the owner of the dog was doing was hitting it with a whip but it wouldn’t stop it.”
Nurses at Hillcrest Animal Sanctuary rushed Missy through into an emergency operation.
Jenny Carr, who dealt with the case, said: “I think the whole team of nurses thought it was a horrendous injury and that Missy was lucky to be alive.”
Coun Eric Bell, who oversees the animal welfare service at Chorley Council, said: “We are currently investigating the facts of this case and we are appealing for witnesses to come forward.”
A spokesman for Lancashire Police confirmed it was aware of the incident which happened on Wednesday, November 16 at 6.30pm.
(Lancashire Evening Post - Nov 23, 2011)
