Bridie Taylor was out with her pet, Reggie, in Rushey Mead Park, Leicester, when a pit bull or similar dog charged over and bit him on the neck.
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| Bridie Taylor with her pet English Bulldog, Reggie |
Bridie said: "The dog just kept pulling at Reggie's neck and ripped off the collar and left six big punctures in his neck."
The 20-year-old kicked the dog until it released Reggie and one of the two men who were with the animal pulled it away by its collar.
Reggie needed stitches in his neck after the attack on July 20, and is still suffering, with weeping sores, swelling and breathing problems.
Bridie said both she and Reggie had been left traumatised by the attack, which is being investigated by police.
She said: "Reggie is really poorly and I think it has scarred us both for life.
"He used to be really happy and jumpy but now he's completely different.
"He doesn't want to go out and he's on edge all the time."
She said the man who pulled the dog away did not even apologise.
"I said nothing because I was in shock and just so worried about Reggie," she said.
"The other dog looked like a pit bull and it didn't have a muzzle or a lead on.
"When the man walked off with it he still didn't put a lead on it and I was worried about kids playing in the area.
"It obviously had a taste for blood and could have gone and attacked them next.
"I was with my 11-year-old nephew at the time and it's lucky neither of us was attacked."
Reggie was treated at the PDSA charity in Braunstone.
Senior surgeon Mark Short said: "Reggie was brought into PDSA and had suffered a number of injuries, which were treated.
"All dog owners are responsible for keeping their pets under control.
"Sadly, this isn't always the case and over one million dogs display aggressive behaviour towards people and other pets every week, including growling, snarling and biting."
The attack happened at about 3pm on July 20, and police have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
A spokeswoman said: "We received a report just before 3pm on Friday, July 20, that a dog had been injured by a pit bull.
"It is believed the offending dog was not on a lead and two Asian men were seen with it.
"We would encourage the owners of the dog to come forward and would also ask witnesses to contact us."
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the police on 101.
(Leicester Mercury - July 27, 2012)
