Julie Rees was yards from her home when a Staffordshire or terrier cross clamped its jaws around Gwen’s throat.
She said her dog was in a harness and did not fight back as she was working.
‘We had been delivering Christmas cards to friends and were on the pavement walking home,’ she said of the incident which took place in Fforestfach, Swansea, on Thursday morning.
‘I always know if there’s a dog around because Gwen’s head goes up and her tail wags. She’s so friendly.
‘But this dog did not even stop to sniff her – it just flew at her. I tried to shield her but it clamped down on her throat and would not let go.’
Passers-by and nearby motorists rushed to Mrs Rees’s aid after she screamed for help, with one man grabbing the small, brown-and-white bitch by its collar before police arrived.
Gwen suffered bite marks near her windpipe and was given a treatment of antibiotics, and the attack has left her and Mrs Rees ‘badly shaken and unable to go out’.
Guide Dogs Cymru said Gwen could need assessment and retraining before being able to work again.
Initial training for a guide dog costs around £35,000.
The charity is campaigning for attacks on guide dogs, of which there are ten in the UK every month, to be treated as an attack on their owner.
‘When a guide dog is attacked, someone with sight loss can completely lose their means of getting out and about independently,’ said Andrea Gordon, engagement manager for Guide Dogs Cymru.
‘The impact on their life is huge and this is why we have campaigned so hard to get the law changed.’
Mrs Rees added: ‘It is horrendous for any dog to be attacked, but Gwen is my eyes. I can’t get about without her.’
(Metro - Dec 9, 2013)
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