“I PUT my hand on the back of my leg and it was covered in blood. I could see flesh on my sock and there was a great big open wound.”
This was the terrifying moment Caroline Blake discovered the extent of her injuries having been bitten by a dog while running around Warwick Racecourse.
Almost sevens weeks later the wounds have only just started to heal over and the 40-year-old no longer feels safe around dogs.
Concerned the same dog – whose owner has not yet been traced – may attack again, she has spoken out in the hope of preventing others suffering a similar ordeal.
“It all happened so quickly there wasn’t much time to think,” she explained. “It came running towards me and then went for my right calf. I was more scared when it went for my other leg as I knew what damage it could do.”
What angered the Warwick resident more than the attack itself was the reaction of the dog’s owner.
She added: “She could have grabbed it or called it back but did nothing. She seemed surprised it had bitten me and told me it was just a pup.”
The owner simply walked away and the dog followed, leaving Miss Blake in a state of shock.
Miss Blake, who works for the careers service at Coventry University, was taken to hospital by a neighbour where the wound was cleaned and she was given a Tetanus shot. For three weeks she could hardly walk, had trouble sleeping and found it too painful to shower.
Since the attack tougher penalties have been brought in for owners whose dogs injure someone.
She added: “Dog owners have a responsibility to look after them and most are responsible and would call their dog back or have it on a lead.”
Police are keen to speak to the owner of the dog involved in the attack, which is believed to be a large breed, possibly a Lurcher, with short light brown fur.
The owner was in her 30s with shoulder length auburn hair, and was wearing a light blue rain coat and wellington boots.
She had another dog on a lead, which was described as a Labrador type, also light in colour.
Anyone with information is asked to call Warwickshire Police on 101.
