EXCLUSIVE ‘Her skin peeled off like a banana’: Family left devastated after ‘American-style bully’ savaged their dog and its owner ‘refused to cover £1,200 vet bill’
- David Brierley, 74, and his wife Susan, 71, had to pay £1,200 in veterinary bills
- They claimed the dog’s owner told them there was ‘not a chance’ he would pay
An elderly couple say they were left devastated after an ‘American-style bully’ savaged their dog and left them with a steep vet bill.
David Brierley, 74, and his wife Susan, 71, claimed they were left £1,200 out of pocket when the dog’s owner told them there was ‘not a chance’ he would cover the cost.
Mr and Mrs Brierley, of Pontefract, West Yorkshire, said the owner’s pet suddenly ‘ripped’ into their Miniature Pinscher, Shuna, while watching their granddaughter play rugby in Dewsbury in July last year.
Mrs Brierley claimed the owners just ‘stood there and did nothing’ as she grappled to pull the dog off by its extendable lead which ‘peeled’ Shuna’s skin off ‘like a banana’ and left her with gaping wounds.
The couple said they visited Dewsbury to watch the match when they saw the other dog owner and his partner sitting nearby with their animal.
Susan Brierley claimed the owners just ‘stood there and did nothing’ as she grappled to pull the dog off by its extendable lead which ‘peeled’ Shuna’s skin off ‘like a banana’ and left her with gaping wounds
David Brierley, 74, and his wife Susan, 71, claimed they were left £1,200 out of pocket when the dog’s owner told them there was ‘not a chance’ he would cover the cost
Mr and Mrs Brierley (pictured), of Pontefract, West Yorkshire, said the owner’s pet suddenly ‘ripped’ into their Miniature Pinscher, Shuna (pictured), while watching their granddaughter play rugby in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, in July last year
Then ‘all of a sudden’ the dog launched across the field and ‘ripped into’ Shuna, leaving her with a gaping wound, they said.
READ MORE: Why are deadly dog attacks on the rise? Experts warn celebrity dog ear-cropping trend, lockdown puppy farms and TikTok are fuelling rise in injuries and deaths
Mrs Brierley said she attempted to pull the aggressive dog off Shuna by its extendable lead and soon realised her skin and fur had ‘peeled off like a banana’.
But the dog still wouldn’t let go and Mr Brierley said he had to kick it with force to scare it off.
The couple claim the other dog owner just ‘stood there’ and didn’t do anything and blamed the wound on Mrs Brierley, saying she shouldn’t have pulled the lead.
Mr and Mrs Brierley were then left with a £1,200 bill after Shuna was rushed to the vet and claim when they returned to the rugby club, one of the owners told them there was ‘not a chance’ he would cover the cost.
The pensioners said they were left ‘very upset’ and angry and the extortionate bills meant they couldn’t afford to visit Mr Brierley’s sister in the south of France which they have been doing for over a decade.
Despite the attack, the couple are thankful Shuna survived it with only ‘some scars’ as they thought they were going to ‘lose’ their pet when it happened.
Mr Brierley has since tried to get in contact with the owner and reported the attack to Kirklees Council, which has issued a warning to the owner.
A Kirklees Council spokesman said: ‘Kirklees Council was made aware of an incident that occurred last year involving two dogs.
‘The council investigated the incident and issued a warning to the owner in accordance with our procedure.’
Mr and Mrs Brierley said they were then left with a £1,200 bill after Shuna was rushed to the vet when they returned to the rugby club the other animal owner told them there was ‘not a chance’ he would cover the cost
Despite the attack, the couple are thankful Shuna survived it with only ‘some scars’ as they thought they were going to ‘lose’ their pet when it happened
A report from February this year revealed there had been 18 deadly dog attacks since January 2020, with last year being the deadliest on record.
Twelve people, ranging from a 17-month-old toddler to an 83-year-old pensioner, were killed in dog attacks across England and Wales over a 12-month period – with experts pointing to several concerning trends potentially being behind the spate of disturbing killings.
James McNally, who has been dubbed Britain’s ‘dog bite solicitor’ and a personal injury claim expert with Slee Blackwell Solicitors, has previously said he had seen a rise in the number of dog bite claims in recent years.
Earlier this year he told MailOnline how he had more than 180 clients and his inbox was ballooning with fresh enquiries every day.
Mr McNally said: ‘Some of the worst injuries we’re seeing are by those beloved household pets; Collies, Jack Russells, Huskies. Any dog can cause injury at any time.
‘We’ve had a lady who lost the tip of her nose, delivery drivers missing fingers. There are cases we’re dealing with where a child has been scalped by the dog and suffered serious facial injuries – they’re all horrible.
‘In a lot of the cases we’re seeing, the way I see it is that it’s the family dogs.
‘I think the pandemic puppy boom has probably contributed to the rising number of dog bites, experts have raised huge concerns about puppy farms and I think a lot of us are just not aware of this entire world of dog breeding.
‘Ultimately, it’s a bit of a Wild West out there. We had the wrong dogs, being bred by the wrong people, going to the wrong homes. It’s a recipe for disaster and was fuelling the fire.’
Kirklees Council has been contacted for comment.
Source: Read Full Article
