A WOMAN is warning dog owners after her long-legged Jack Russell dog Ellie was attacked by a Staffordshire bull terrier in a Darwen park.

Kirstie Scott had a 30th birthday to forget after getting a call to say that her pooch was injured in the incident on Sunnyhurst Woods at 8.30am on Monday morning.

She has had a vet's bill rising above the £1,000 mark for the dog she has owned since it was a puppy.

She said: “My uncle was taking the dog for a walk at the woods.

“She cannot walk for very long as she is quite blind and deaf and slow.

“He was coming home and there was a woman with a Staffordshire bull terrier holding it around the collar.

“My uncle went past and then all he heard was a kerfuffle and he saw that the dog had broken free and was biting Ellie.

“My uncle used the lead and tried to get it off but it was locked onto her.

“The lady was apparently shocked but there was not much of an apology to say that I would have been mortified if my dog had done it.

“She told my uncle that it was a rescue dog but we don’t know if an attack had happened before."

Kirstie has reported the incident to police and dog wardens as she fears for other dog walkers in the area after Ellie received puncture wounds on her skin.

She said: “Ellie went to the vets and was patched up and has now had an operation.

“We were told previously that it was not safe for her to have an operation under general anaesthetic but she needed to have it done this time because of her injuries.

“She is our family dog and is quite cute.

“I want to make people aware of it as it was 8.30am and there would be lots of children walking in that park, and I am worried about other dogs.

“The woman does not seem proactive about it.

“I love Staffies and they get a bad reputation but if they know it was a rescue dog then it should be restrained with a muzzle and not just holding on to the collar.

“She did not give any personal details to my uncle. It seems to happen quite a lot with this breed.”

Police have confirmed the incident took place and there is a log number of LC-2020-0121-0350.