A six-month-old puppy died after a "frenzied" attack by a larger dog in Cornwall. Little Ted was being walked by Sharon Hayes, his owner's sister, in Coulson Park in Lostwithiel when a lurcher-type dog sprinted towards them and bit Ted around his middle.
Sharon said she had taken Ted out around lunchtime and had a peaceful walk, meeting several other dogs without any trouble. "We walked through there, we walked along the track down to the nature park, interacted with quite a few dog walkers and dogs," she told CornwallLive. "Everything was absolutely lovely."
But at around 12.50pm they encountered a man with a lurcher-type dog. Sharon continued: "Ted was on the lead, we were walking along, and I saw this guy with a lurcher. No lead, nothing, and this dog just flew at Ted. There was no 'let's walk up to him and sniff him and play with him', like dogs generally do.
"He just honed in like Ted was prey and just grabbed him and wouldn't let go of him. Obviously, I got quite hysterical trying to get in and break things up."
Sharon said the lurcher's owner only moved when she began screaming, and he removed his dog, which had "snatched" Ted around his middle. "Eventually, he sort of jumped on the dog, held the dog and pulled the dog backwards. He didn't put it in a headlock, but that sort of grapple from behind and held it long enough for me to grab Ted. And that's when his dog bit me.
"I got Ted and just wanted to get out of the situation, so started walking away. I could feel he was still behind me. I initially shouted, 'I need your name and address'.
"But my thoughts were just solely on getting Ted because I could tell he was going to need some assistance, veterinary assistance."
Sharon said the man was still walking behind her, holding the dog by its collar instead of a lead. "That frightened me even more because the dog could have easily gotten away. I screamed at the guy again to just stay away from me, leave me alone."
Sharon took Ted to the vet, where he underwent surgery for seven hours. "They were absolutely fantastic, absolutely fantastic. I can't speak highly enough of the staff up there," Sharon said.
Get more CornwallLive exclusives with Google – sign up here
Sharon took herself to Bodmin Hospital's minor injuries unit to have her dog's bites treated. She said the lurcher had bitten her thumb trying to get to Ted, while Ted had bitten and scratched her in his panic. She also reported the attack to the police via the online reporting system. She later informed Cornwall Council and was told the incident had been logged with the dog warden.
Ted's injuries were ultimately too severe, and he was declared brain dead. Sadly, they had to say goodbye. "I'm devastated," Sharon said. "Ted was six months old and should have had his whole life ahead of him. Having him attacked while I was responsible for him and trying desperately to save him is something that I will never forget."
Because Ted's owners, Sharon's sister and her partner, were in America when the attack took place, Sharon was forced to explain the tragic situation over the phone.
Frenzied Dog Attack Kills Six-Month-Old Puppy in Lostwithiel