The family of a woman who had her finger bitten off in a dog attack on the street have said the police’s decision to deem the dog safe and return it to its owner is appalling.
Annette Tonyin, 61, was walking her dog in south Birmingham at about 8am on 30 April when, according to her account, one of two dogs being walked on the opposite side of the street ran across the road and began to attack the pet.
She said she was knocked to the ground in the process, briefly losing consciousness, and when she came to and attempted to pull the dog off, it bit off part of her left index finger and left her with severe bites on her right hand.
Her family said they were appalled when police said a dog handler had deemed the animal to have a “friendly disposition” and returned it to its owner. They were also angry it took police over two weeks from the incident to take a statement from Tonyin.
“I don’t really understand how they came to the conclusion [the dog was safe] without seeing my mum and the damage that was done,” said the victim’s daughter, Folake Adoti-Ryan, adding that with the number of fatal dog attacks rising in recent years, “we shouldn’t have to wait for someone to die” before action is taken against dogs.
Tonyin was taken to hospital and the tip of her finger was recovered from the scene, but doctors said they would be unable to reattach it as the middle part of the finger was still missing.
“She’s been maimed for life, it’s a life-changing injury. There is no coming back from that,” Adoti-Ryan said.
The family’s dog, a staffordshire bull terrier, spaniel and labrador cross named Ebony, suffered internal bleeding and deep cuts to her throat, but made a full recovery.
Adoti-Ryan said her mother, who used to work in a Greggs store but is now retired, was “petrified” of walking near where the incident took place in Kings Heath, Birmingham.
“I hear my mum at night sometimes screaming ‘help’ because she’s obviously so traumatised, but she puts on a brave face,” Adoti-Ryan said.
“It would have really helped if police had treated her with a modicum of respect, but they’ve not even given her that and I don’t understand why.”
A number of police officers attended the scene and the family were told six 999 calls were made by witnesses who helped pull the dog away and get her mother medical attention.
“It’s not the case that two dogs just got in a scrap. My dog was on the other side of the road and this dog, unprovoked, decided it wanted to hurt someone,” Adoti-Ryan said. “If other people hadn’t been there I dread to think what would have happened.”
A spokesperson for West Midlands police said they were continuing to investigate the incident and appealed for any witnesses to come forward.
“As part of the police investigation, officers from the dangerous dogs unit have conducted an assessment on the dogs to establish if they are a banned breed and to assess their temperament,” the spokesperson said.
“Following the assessment, the dogs, who are not a banned breed, have been allowed to stay with their owners with strict conditions.”
Adoti-Ryan said when she contacted police to chase up why a statement hadn’t been taken from her mother, she was told the officer had noted he was unable to take her her statement over the phone because her accent was “too strong”.
“My mum is a fluent English speaker, she has a Nigerian accent but we moved here 30 years ago,” she said. “We’ve had to call them several times, and all the information we’ve been given is from chasing them.”
A West Midlands police spokesperson said: “Officers have contacted the victim to make arrangements to visit her in person to take a statement so that the investigation can be progressed.”
The Guardian understands that, after making enquiries with the force, an officer contacted Tonyin and took a statement.
