A Scots mum stabbed outside her home in a horror attack has issued a plea to save the dog that was crucial to her recovery.
Katie Hart, from Cupar, had never suspected that her life was about to change forever when she left her flat on 4 April 2019.
The 27-year-old was about to get in her car to head to work when she was viciously attacked.
Speaking to the Daily Record, she said: "I was getting into my car when I heard a man shout.
"I looked up to be met by my neighbour who proceeded to punch me in the side of the head. I then felt a pain in my side and felt something wet running down my body.
"I realised that I had been stabbed and started screaming."
Katie was rushed to Victoria Hospital, in Kirkcaldy, with a two-inch stab wound believed to have been inflicted by a lock knife.
She would later learn that her attacker was a diagnosed Schizophrenic.
It's understood he had been experiencing 'delusional beliefs' that Katie was trying to poison him.
The man did not go to trial due to his diagnosis and was instead detained in a secure hospital.
While Katie's physical wounds healed, the incident had a lasting mental impact.
She said: "The mental impact was far greater than the physical wounds. I experienced flashbacks, panic attacks and nightmares after it.
"My life changed dramatically. I felt too frightened to return to the flat that I had recently moved into with my boyfriend."
Katie was forced to sell her flat in Cowdenbeath, where the attack happened, and move in with her parents.
But she was still left terrified.
"Six months after the attack I was still unable to be left alone and required to have someone with me at all times.
"I was unable to work and had to give up my job as a nanny", Katie explained.
She added: "I never returned to my flat where I was attacked and have never been back to Cowdenbeath."
Katie, who is now a mum to her six-week-old son, was no longer able to be left alone.
The couple decided to purchase a puppy in a desperate bid to help Katie adjust to life after the attack.
They brought home Diego, a French Bulldog, in November 2019.
He has been Katie's companion ever since and has been vital to her long road to recovery.
She said: "With Diego by my side, I gradually built up the confidence to be left on my own, initially for short periods of time and then longer.
"I was eventually able to go out for short walks with Diego on my own.
"I didn’t feel safe enough to return to nannying but I was able to work in my family business, where Diego could come to work with me."
But last month tragedy struck when Diego became suddenly unable to walk.
He was rushed to vets in Fife before being referred to the specialist Dick Vet in Edinburgh.
Katie's beloved pet, who is just two-years-old, was diagnosed with a suspected slipped disc - which is causing the paralysis.
He now requires an MRI Scan and may need surgery in the future, which Katie says will amount to thousands of pounds.
She explains: "I can’t face the thought of not having my own little therapet in my life but our insurance doesn’t cover the costs of all his treatment.
"Diego has given me companionship and a feeling of safety and has never left my side since I got him to help with my recovery."
Katie has now set up a fundraising page to help cover the cost of treatment, you can donate here.
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