A dog owner has been left with a £5000 bill after her cherished pet was attacked in a West Lothian park.
Carole Murray’s two-year-old Jackapoo Lucy was savaged by another dog on Monday, June 12, leaving her with fractures and a dislocation in her left hind paw. She may need her leg amputated.
Carole said the owner of the other dog - a Staffordshire Bulll Terrier - left the scene of the vicious attack, which also left her partner with deep cuts to his hand.
The couple stay in Aberdour and her partner Gabor Szekely had been in Bathgate getting his van fixed when he took Lucy to Meadow Park.
She told the Courier: “My partner takes Lucy with him when I work, his van was getting fixed in a garage in Bathgate so it being a nice day he took her to the Meadows park as it was going to be at least three hours.
“Lucy had been playing with a spaniel prior and then was just sniffing around when she saw the dog and went towards it, when it noticed her it started running towards her she froze and went on her back in submission
“The owner shouted stop but his dog just came for Lucy. My partner got the dog’s mouth free from her leg, subsequently he suffered vicious bites.
“The man just gathered up his dog and left. There was so much blood, why he didn’t just stay? The dog is a danger.”
Carole has now launched a Crowdfunding page to cover the cost of the treatment, as her insurance will only pay £2000.
She continued: “Police have been informed but sadly there will be little they can do.
“Lucy is in Dick Vets in Edinburgh awaiting surgery to try and repair the damage, this cost is estimated at £5000 thus far.
“If it proves to be un repairable she will require amputation which will exceed - as an estimate £10,000. We have Lucy covered with insurance but this only covers up to £2000.
“Lucy is our only very much loved pet, she is a huge part in our lives and everyone who knows her loves her.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 4.10am on Tuesday, 13 June, we received a report of a 58-year-old man and a dog injured by another dog in the Meadow Park area of Bathgate. The incident happened on Monday, 12 June.
“The man was taken to St John’s Hospital in Livingston for treatment.
“Enquiries are ongoing.”
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