A mum has threatened the owner of a dangerous dog with legal action after it killed her beloved pet Jack Russell.
Rachael Clark was eight months pregnant with her daughter when the rogue German Shepherd cross launched a sustained attack on her much smaller rescue dog.
After rushing Sparky to the vet, he went into cardiac arrest and died leaving Rachael and her husband John with a bill of almost £8,000 just two weeks before she started maternity leave.
The six-year-old pet was out being walked near the couple's home in East Hampshire by their dog-walker in July when the incident took place.
She had explained to Rachael, 30, that the German Shepherd was off its lead and the owner was out of sight when it struck.
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Sparky was reactive to other dogs and so was always on a lead and wore a muzzle when out of the house.
"She walked him down a path and as soon as they saw this dog she turned away as she always did so our dog wasn’t so reactive," Rachael told the Mirror.
"Sparky didn’t even see the dog but within a hundred seconds it had run up and focused on him and went for him. It was really brutal."
The dog-walker took him to the nearest vets and called Rachael and John at work to tell them what had happened.
She explained the other owner had agreed to meet her at the vets but didn't show up.
Rachael and John were told Sparky "was on death's door and it's critical" when they arrived, and were advised he needed to be treated at a specialist.
The couple rushed him there that night and following CT scans and further testing they were told he had been stabilised.
"When they gave us the quote for all the procedures and treatments it was still critical at that point but stable and it sounded like he had a chance," said Rachael, an admin assistant for a charity.
"We thought he was going to come home, we thought he was going to pull through but sadly that didn’t happen."
Less than 48 hours later Sparky passed away from his injuries.
By chance, the owner of the German Shepherd cross was registered at the same vets and Rachael was able to get in contact.
"I tried to call her to give her an update but she was shifting the blame, no remorse or anything like that," she said.
"I mentioned about payments and stuff and insurance but she was really not very forthcoming."
After contacting police the couple were told there's nothing that could be done on their behalf because dog on dog attacks are not a criminal offence.
They have now opted to go down the route of the small claims court.
"I tried ringing [the owner] a few times and then got a text saying some excuse but after that I decided it wasn’t worth the stress trying to contact her, it wasn't going to get us anywhere," said Rachael.
Last week she and John sent the owner a letter informing her of their intention and she has 21 days to resolve it or it will go to court.
A solicitor has advised them to claim for the vet bills as well as the cost of a new dog.
But if they do buy a new dog at some point in future they are concerned they may run into the owner and dog again, and don't even know what they look like.
"According to the dog warden she isn’t walking her dog in the same place anymore but it’s still a worry," said Rachael, who adopted Sparky when he was 18 months old.
Asked if she supported the numerous petitions that are calling for the law to be changed in relation to dog on dog attacks, Rachael said "100 per cent".
"My thinking is surely that’s the first sign that a dog’s aggressive and could potentially harm a human, because what if this is the first warning and next time it goes on and hurts a child?
"Attacking a dog is horrendous but if next time someone is out walking with their child and they get in the way - the police and everyone have had their warning that it’s aggressive but because they’ve done nothing, surely it could prevent further things from happening."
She also learned after the attack the woman had rescued the German Shepherd cross just a month before and likely would not have known it well enough to have it out without a lead anyway.
"Since lockdown there’s been a massive increase in dog attacks, so it’s definitely something that needs to be looked into," said Rachael.
"You have got these people who on a whim have decided to get a dog but don’t actually know about training and raising a dog," she added.
