Jacob Butler's prize-winning pony Nibbles was mauled by the dog which tried to rip its throat out and caused other bite injuries. The dog is believed to be a type of Staffordshire bull terrier.
Nibbles suffered a deep wound to his throat, which narrowly missed a jugular vein, and cuts to his neck and cheek.
The attack happened in fields at Schofield Farm at Wolstenholme Fold in Norden.
Jacob's mum Lesley arrived at the farm to find eight-year-old Nibbles in a distressed state with the animal latched on to his throat.
It is believed that Nibbles could have been protecting a five-month-old foal, a nine-year-old mare and a larger pony belonging to Jacob's brother Joshua, 14, because they managed to get away unscathed.
Mrs Butler, from Further Field, Norden, said: “I arrived at the farm to give Nibbles his meal and he came running towards me with the dog on him. He was running for his life.
“He must have charged through two gates in his struggle to get away.”
Mrs Butler and the dog's owner fought to get the animal off Nibbles in an ordeal that lasted about two minutes.
The dog finally let go when Nibbles collapsed to the floor.
The dog and its owner left the scene. Mrs Butler said: “I shouted to the owner of the dog 'where are you going?' and he just replied 'I'm getting my dog out of here'.
“I have reported this to the police and they said there is nothing they can do because it is a civil matter.”
Nibbles, who was recently declared gymkhana champion at the Leigh and District Championships and was the overall competition winner last year, needed seven stitches to a 4-in long throat wound.
Mrs Bulter said: “The vet said the wound was close to his jugular vein and it could have killed him.”
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police told H&H: “Unless the dog is classified as illegal under the Dangerous Dogs Act or is dangerously out of control, it is not a criminal offence for a dog to bite another animal.”
(Rochdale Observer - December 03, 2011)
