A family pet had an eye ripped out when she was savaged by another dog 10 times bigger.
Catherine McLean looked on in horror as a Canary Mastiff clamped its jaws around her beloved Lola.
The Maltese Yorkshire terrier cross survived despite suffering injuries including broken ribs and a punctured lung, and Catherine was left with a vet’s bill for nearly £5000.
Graham Gordon, 34, of Holytown, Lanarkshire, admitted being in charge of Hugo, a Presa Canario (Canary Mastiff), when the incident happened outside pensioner Catherine’s home in the town last March.
Hamilton Sheriff Court heard Lola was playing in the garden when Hugo jumped over the wall and chased her. Catherine said: “Lola tried to hide under a table but the other dog caught her and had her in his mouth. I thought she was dead.”
Catherine’s friends and neighbours raised about £2500 towards the cost of Lola’s treatment.
Gordon will be sentenced next month. Sheriff Allan McKay said that as the charge was not under the Dangerous Dogs Act, the court has no power to have Hugo destroyed.
