Joanne Thomson’s 75-year-old mother was savaged by what they believe was a Presa Canario as she walked her tiny toy Cockapoo Bobby, on a lead, in Bolton.
Other news sites are saying that Presa Canarios are also called Canary Mastiffs.
The dog involved has been seized by police and an inquiry has been launched.
Joanne, 46, said she believed her mum tried to shield Bobby when the huge dog lurched at them on Springfield Road, Kearsley.
She was knocked to the floor and badly bitten.
Her daughter said: "She is five foot tall and maybe nine stone. It was not letting her go. It was shaking its head while she was on the floor. It has clamped its teeth down."
The man who was walking the dog tried to pull it clear and hit it on the head with the lead, which had absolutely no effect on the giant dog.
This is a random photo of a Presa Canario; to show you
just how big these dogs are. She's lucky to be alive.
Eventually, the man managed to get the dog off the elderly woman and the man who had been driving the van put the woman's dog into his vehicle.
The police and ambulance service were called.
People in nearby houses heard the commotion and started to come out with blankets for the woman while they waited for emergency services to arrive.
The man with the Mastiff waited at the scene and said it was not his dog but he was walking it for a friend.
Joanne, who said Bobby the Cockapoo was her mum’s ‘baby’, revealed the attack fractured her right leg in two places.
Her daughter said: "She's got bite marks, like puncture wounds on her leg. The bone was sticking out. She was traumatised.
"I can't imagine the fear that she experienced or the agony. I got a phone call from my mum's neighbour saying 'don't panic but your mum has gone to hospital, she has been bitten by a dog'.
"I just thought that a dog had bit her on the arm and I would get there as soon as I could. I got to the hospital and she was just covered in blood.
"I can't stop thinking about it. I'm just devastated."
The horrific photographs - which Joanne has posted on Facebook and allowed the Manchester Evening News to use - show the dog slashed and bit at her mum’s lower legs, leaving her with numerous puncture wounds.
One wound is too big to be stitched and she could need skin grafts.
Joanne said: “She could have been killed. She is now terrified, very anxious and scared. If it had got hold of an artery or her neck she could easily have been killed.
“If it would have been a child, they would have been dead. The police have been keeping us up to date with what has been going on and they have been fabulous.
“Officers even came back in to the hospital in their own time to give her a bouquet of flowers. They have gone above and beyond.
“I want to thank the man in the van who stopped. He picked up Bobby and threw him in the back of the van then went to help my mum.
“He was brilliant and I do not even know who he is. People were coming out with blankets and putting pressure on my mum’s wounds. I want to thank everyone for their care.”
Joanne said her mother, who is widowed and a retired NHS worker, walks Bobby everyday. The attack took place just yards from her home.
She said the Presa Canario, which was on a lead, lurched at Bobby and her mum put herself in the way.
The Presa Canario's owner wasn't strong enough to control his vicious dog as it attacked Joanne's mom.
“Bobby is the size of a bag of sugar compared to the other dog,” said Joanne. “The dog just savaged her. She fell under the weight of the dog, which wouldn’t let go despite the man’s attempts to get the dog off. My mum ended up lying on the floor covered in blood and the dog eventually let go.
“She has a massive gaping wound to her other leg and will have to undergo surgery and most probably skin grafts. This dog should have been muzzled at the very least.”
The man left his details at the scene.
Police confirmed officers and paramedics were called at 3.55pm on Tuesday to a report that a 75-year-old woman had been bitten by a dog.
A GMP spokesman said: “The dog involved has been seized pending further investigations.”
This is a random photo of a Presa Canario; to show you
just how big these dogs are. She's lucky to be alive.
(Manchester Evening News UK - December 20, 2017)
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