A chihuahua owner is warning others about two border terriers who almost killed her pet on a famous dog walking route. This was a brutal dog attack, one that supersedes all dog attacks.
On Sunday, Laura Behjet walked tiny chihuahua Charles and her other dog in Shenley Brook End. Little Charles was very seriously injured.
“My children and I started running down to get him back… We could hear screams but couldn’t see anything because of the hedge.”
However, the children got to the scene first. And, to their horror, they saw the two terriers shaking and pulling little Charles between them.
By the time Laura caught up, the terriers were restrained on leads, and their owner had picked up the little chihuahua covered in blood.
"My children were hysterical. The woman handed Charles to me and kept saying, ‘he’ll bite you – even though he’s never shown dog aggression. This dog attack was really scary.
Charles is recovering slowly.
"When it became clear he was covered in blood, she laughed and said it was her blood because he had bitten her.
"She didn’t at any point seem shocked. She spoke very calmly to my children and me, saying, ' it’s okay, he’s not injured, it’s my blood. I didn't attack the dog.”
The chihuahua had been seriously injured, and the dog’s teeth had punctured his lungs.
Laura asked another nearby dog walker what had happened, and he said the terriers had chased Charles and repeatedly bitten him. The dog aggression was horrendous.
"He said he had to kick them to get them off,” she said. As they spoke, the two terriers pulled on the lead, trying to get to Charles again.
“At no point did the woman offer any details, and eventually I just said ‘I have to get him to a vet’ and walked off,” said Laura.
After the dog attacks went on, she noticed two loose border terriers in the distance.
At that point, little Charles, who weighs less than 5lb, slipped his harness and ran off towards hedges at Garthwaite Pavilion.
"He ran far away from the approaching dogs, but the two terriers chased after him," said Laura.
“When we reached the vets’, they said the dogs had crushed his chest… We were warned the bill could exceed £15,000, and he may die at any moment.”
Charles’ X-rays showed collapsed lungs where the dog aggression had moved on right through his body.
The surgery took four hours.
And the chihuahua’s chest was so severely damaged that the vets had to use some of his ribs to reconstruct it.
“By some miracle, Charles has survived and will hopefully be able to come home soon,” said Laura. “We don’t know if there will be lasting physical problems due to his injuries.”
Laura has reported the incident to the police. And has walked miles going door to door and asking other dog walkers if they know of the two border terriers.
"I have spoken to people who have given statements to the police. Because these same two border terrier dogs have attacked their dogs,” she said.
"We are aware of two, possibly three other dog attacks.
“it is even important to find the owner as the dogs are unmuzzled and sometimes off-leash.”
Meanwhile, little Charles is recovering slowly.
Laura said: “We imagine there certainly will be significant psychological damage as he is a shy, gentle little dog. We think he will now be terrified of other dogs.”
Don't attack your dog!
