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Woman's guide dog mauled
A PARTIALLY-SIGHTED woman says she has lost her lifeline after her guide dog was mauled by a stray.
Labrador-retriever cross Adele was left in a pool of blood after the attack on Callander Road, near St Teresa's Primary School.
Her owner Julie Gaffney, 44, who is partially-sighted due to a condition called optic atrophy, said: "It was like a horror movie. I was hysterical." Julie was taking her nine-year-old granddaughter Erin to Rossmere Primary School when the attack happened.
She had hold of Adele and her two bichon frise dogs Angel and Monty when she felt a strong tugging on Adele's leash.
She realised a dog had locked its jaws on Adele's back end and was shaking her about like a rag doll.
"I just started screaming and told my granddaughter to run," Julie said.
Moments later another dog came at Angel and Monty, but Julie managed to pull them out of the way.
Teachers at St Teresa's took Julie and Adele into the school to calm them down.
Julie's husband Paul, 47, came to pick them up and took eight-year-old Adele straight to the vets, where she was given an injection.
She was taken back the next day to get stitches on her bottom under her tail, and has since been recovering at Julie's home in Claymore Road.
Julie said: "She's not the same dog. She's going to need extra training because the attack has left her unsure of other dogs.
"She's so nervous, but I cannot afford for her to be nervous because she's my eyes."
Julie thinks the dog which attacked Adele should be put down, and believes all Staffordshire bull terriers should be muzzled, especially near children.
This latest incident comes after the Mail reported how 11-year-old Adam Middleton may be scarred for life after he was attacked by a Staffordshire bull terrier near his home in Stockton Road, Hartlepool.
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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