Dog left traumatised

Irene Wagner, of Cuckfield Crescent, Salvington, was bitten on the hand last Thursday and her dog, Josie, was left with multiple injuries and can no longer bark.

She said the attack was completely unprovoked: "It was on Thursday at about 5.30pm on the recreation ground at the back of Cuckfield Crescent. There is a path running on one side and I let her off the lead. She ran ahead of me then, all of a sudden, a greyhound started charging from across the park.

"It was a white greyhound. Josie turned and ran back. She ran straight past me and the greyhound chased her.

"He grabbed her and shook her and threw her up in the air."

Irene said that she ran towards her dog and picked her up.

"Her mouth was wide open. I pressed myself up against a fence but the other dog was jumping around on both sides of me. He bit me on the hand.

"I turned left and turned right. He was jumping at me. It probably was just minutes but it took ages for the owner to arrive. When he did I just ran out of the park into my car. My hands were covered in blood.

"I did not stop to get his name. My first concern was to get help to my dog. I thought the greyhound had broken her back."

She added: "We were both in total shock. The man called after me 'Are you all right love?' and there were two women also in the park who shouted to ask if I was all right. I said I was not and I had to get my dog to the vets."

Josie was left with some broken ribs, internal bleeding and bruising. She has been taken to the vets several times following the attack and they said she may also have a damaged bladder and pierced diaphragm after being badly shaken.

"There were a few bites on my hand and my little finger went black and stiff. I phoned the NHS helpline because I wanted to find out if I needed a tetanus jab.

"It was a long time before I washed my hands. I did not think of the bites on my hands, I thought of my dog first.

"I was told to go to the hospital and, late on Thursday night, I went and was put on antibiotics. My hands are starting to heal, but my thumb and little finger still hurt."

Irene says she will not walk in the park again and will not let Josie run around off her lead once she has recovered.

She said: "Josie was just ambling along on the path and the greyhound just charged from nowhere. They are trained to chase after small things and the greyhound must have seen Josie and just chased her.

"I would like to see greyhounds like this kept on a lead and muzzled to stop it happening again.

"If a child or elderly person had been walking their dog, things could have ended up being a lot worse."

The police are investigating the incident and are asking anyone with information to contact them on 0845 6070999.