Blind woman left "vulnerable" after guide dog is retired following vicious attack by French Mastiffs in Cambridge, court hears

UNITED KINGDOM -- A woman is facing losing her job after her guide dog was injured in a savage attack.

Visually impaired Jadwiga Elbourn was walking along a Cambridge street when two loose French Mastiffs viciously clawed her guide dog Neda on November 13 last year, a court heard.

Her “traumatised” guide dog has since been retired – and the owner fears she may not be able to get to work without her.

Ms Elbourn is now seeking an order for the dogs’ owner, Jeffrey Brigham, to keep his pets muzzled and on leads in public.

Delia Matthews, prosecuting, said: “Ms Elbourn was walking with her dog Neda, who was working, near the owner’s home on Wulfstan Way.

“She heard barking and could sense dogs around her dog. They then started to attack Neda.”

The attack left Neda in a state of shock and with deep scratches on her foreleg and stomach. One wound was so deep it needed an intramuscular stitching.

The guide dog has since been retired from service as a result of the injuries.

Reading from Ms Elbourn’s witness statement, Ms Matthews said the attack has left her feeling “anxious” and “vulnerable” , adding that she may not be able to get another dog soon.

She said that the she needed a dog to get to work and feared losing her job without one.

Representing himself in court, Brigham, 47, admitted the female dog Coco had gone for Neda, but not the male Buster.

He said: “This has never happened before. Normally they are both the sweetest dogs, but I had my little girl with me, so it probably made Cocoa defensive.

“Buster wasn’t doing anything at all, he was just excited and acting like it was a game.”

Referring to the witness statement, he added: “It wasn’t as terrible as it has been made out. It was not a serious attack.

“I love dogs and I would never want to see one get hurt, especially not a guide dog. But, Buster never did anything.”

The court also heard that Brigham offered to drive Ms Elbourn and Neda to a veterinary surgery and pay for the dog’s treatment.

Due to the differing accounts of the attack, magistrates ordered a second hearing to take place on March 28, at which they will decide whether to impose controlling methods on both or one of the dogs.

(cambridge-news.co.uk - Feb 15, 2014)