Woman calls for dangerous dog owners to keep their animals on a lead - after a vicious bull terrier launched a brutal attack on a spaniel she was walking through Sharpness and Berkeley

A WOMAN has called for more care from owners of aggressive dogs after witnessing a bull terrier attack a cocker spaniel she was walking with her fiancé in Sharpness.

Jody Acum, 31, of Leonard Stanley, near Stroud, was walking a friend’s dog through Sharpness and Berkeley when the incident took place.

The cocker spaniel was left unharmed but shaken by the attack, which only stopped after Miss Acum’s partner William Allan, 29, wrestled the other dog to the ground and restrained it.

Miss Acum and Mr Allan were taking the seven-year-old cocker spaniel Honey on a circular walk of Sharpness and Berkeley taken from a Cotswolds walking guide.

Their walk took them through Sharpness, under the railway bridge, and onto Saniger Lane, a track which runs alongside the B4066.

It was here that they met the path of the bull terrier off its lead that directed an attack towards the dog they were walking. Their dog, conversely, was held on a leash at the time.

Miss Acum said: “As we were walking along this lane we came to two houses on the right hand side, and a loose bull terrier appeared from the first cottage, which only had an open front garden with no fence.

“This vicious dog promptly launched itself at us and attacked our friend’s spaniel. Our dog was bitten several times while my fiancé defended her and put himself at risk.

“He managed to pick up the spaniel we were walking but the bull terrier actually clung onto its backside as he raised it into the air.

“Honey did manage to escape with our help and her own speed with my partner having to physically restrain the attacking dog while its owner looked on.”

The pair had little time to confront the owner of the bull terrier before racing to catch up with Honey. In the brief moment they did interact with him, Miss Acum said he was apologetic.

Fortunately, Honey and Mr Allan were unscathed, but Miss Acum is concerned about what would happen if someone were unable to fight off the attacking dog.

She continued: “It wasn’t very pleasant, but I’m more worried about what would happen if it was an elderly person walking their dog who couldn’t fend an attack off in the way that we did.

“Considering the walk can be found in several walking guides, I just felt like I needed to warn people so it doesn’t happen again.”

“Had our dog been smaller or if we had been unable to physically intervene with the attack we could have been dealing with much more serious consequences.”