A FRAIL elderly woman and her tiny dog were left bleeding and traumatised after a shocking attack.
The pair were mauled by an unsupervised bigger dog whose owners ran off when they saw what had happened.
The ordeal for 83-year-old Doreen Nicholson and her Yorkshire Terrier Benjy began on Sunday (September 21) just before 1pm as the pair enjoyed a walk in Hatfield Close towards Arrow Vale playing fields.
The Matchborough resident, who uses a mobility scooter to get around, picked seven-year-old Benjy up on to her lap when she saw the boxer-type dog approaching rapidly.
But the bigger dog launched itself on Benjy, throwing him to the ground and leaving him with jaw marks and four-inch cuts to his leg, while Doreen suffered an open fracture to her hand.
As the dog’s owners came into sight and realised what had happened, they hit their dog and ran off with it, leaving Doreen and Benjy alone. Luckily, a couple coming home from church came to the rescue and took the pair to their home while they called the emergency services.
Doreen was taken to the Alexandra Hospital and admitted overnight while Benjy stayed two nights at the vets and both will require ongoing medical help.
Son Richard Austin told the Standard: “Every time my mom closes her eyes, she just keeps seeing the dog bounding towards her.
“I just want those people found and prosecuted. The main thing is for leaving her there, leaving a frail old lady pouring with blood and her dog ripped to pieces.
“If the dog had knocked her and Benjy over, it could have been a lot worse and killed him easily as he’s so small and can’t withstand anything like that.
“It will be a long recovery for the pair of them and will take a long time for them to get over it. What despicable people would do that?”
Police believe the men were white, possibly Eastern European, with one wearing a black t-shirt and the other a green t-shirt, while the dog was white with a brown patch on one eye.
Anyone with any information should call police on 101, quoting incident reference number 345-S-210914, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Doreen Nicholson’s hand was fractured during the attack. (s)
The smaller dog was unable to defend himself against the boxer. (s)
