A pug owner was left with a black and swollen eye after being whipped in the face with lead by ranting dog walker.
Emma Clay, 36, was walking her seven pugs in Cricketers Park, Wavertree, when she claims she saw a male acquaintance in a confrontation with professional dog walker Nikki O'Donoghue at around 1.30pm on Wednesday, August 11.
Emma claims she tried to defuse the situation, between the pair but Mrs O'Donoghue, of Diamond Doggy Care, accused her of "siding" with the man.
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She claims things became heated, which led her to start recording the situation with her phone.
Two sequences of footage, recorded by both Emma and a witness, show Mrs O'Donoghue stood by her van and then re-entering the park to confront her victim.
She attempts to grab the phone out of Emma's hands before twirling a dog lead and eventually whipping it into her face as Miss Clay tries to back away.
Mrs O'Donoghue then left the scene in her van.
The attack left Emma with a black eye and feeling as though she cannot go into the park to walk her pack.
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Emma describes her pugs, named Buddy; Eric; Rico; Macy; Button; Beau and Coco, as her "babies" after cancer treatment left her unable to have children.
But now she says she feels she cannot go into the park to walk her pack.
Miss Clay told the ECHO: "It was horrible, it really was."
She added: "I suffer with a lot of anxiety and it was so upsetting.
"I feel like I can't go out of the house in case I bump into her."
Speaking to the ECHO, Mrs O'Donoghue said she accepted striking Miss Clay with the lead, but claimed she "lost her temper" after being "verbally abused".
Merseyside Police confirmed officers are investigating reports of an assault and have invited a woman to attend a voluntary interview.
A spokeswoman said: "It was reported that, following a verbal altercation in Cricketers Park, near Sandown Lane, a woman was hit in the face with a dog lead.
"The female suspect then made off in a white Renault van.
"The victim suffered minor injuries to her face and was left shaken by the incident.
"Patrols attended the scene and, following enquires, a woman is due to voluntarily attend at a police station for interview by officers."
Mrs O'Donoghue confirmed she would be attending the voluntary interview with a solicitor.
Merseyside Police asked anyone who witnessed this incident or with any information to contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ with reference 21000559171.
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