A woman says she has been left 'traumatised' after she and her dog were attacked in the street by a Staffordshire bull terrier.
Val Radford suffered bites to her hands and a fractured finger while her cockapoo Teddy required emergency surgery following the 'vicious' attack in Radcliffe on Friday morning (June 30).
Ms Radford, from Bury, had taken her car to be serviced at a nearby garage and was making the 50-minute journey home with her two dogs when they were attacked in Victoria Street.
Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.
As they walked down the street, Ms Radford said a young woman emerged from a house accompanied by the Staffy, which was not on a lead.
"I'm always wary of Staffs," explained Ms Radford. "I said to the woman 'your dog hasn't got a lead on, is it okay?'
"She said it was so I walked on and it came up to Teddy, smelled him and attacked him. He locked his jaw in Teddy's back and I lifted Teddy up to get him away.
"Teddy was screaming. I was trying to kick the dog and was saying to the girl 'do something, do something'.
"She was in shock. I was hitting the dog and doing everything to get it off but it wouldn't let go.
"I was screaming 'please somebody help me'. All I wanted to do was protect my dog."
After a number of people stepped in, Ms Radford said the Staffy let go of Teddy but then returned and bit into his throat.
"We eventually got him off," she said. "I was in total shock. I couldn't speak and was sobbing my heart out."
Ms Radford was also bitten and was taken to hospital to be treated for her injuries. Teddy, meanwhile, was left with several bite marks to his back and had to undergo an emergency operation to repair a muscle ripped during the attack.
Police were called to the scene and officers seized a dog. Ms Radford says both she and Teddy have been left 'traumatised' by what they experienced.
"It was horrendous," she said. "I couldn't believe it was happening.
"It was the worst experience I have ever encountered. My dogs didn't do anything and were on a lead.
"Teddy is such a beautiful happy little dog, he's not a fighter. He hasn't been eating and wouldn't go out this morning.
"He's going to be really wary of being around any dogs now. To see him brutally and viciously attacked and hear him squealing like that is going to haunt me for life."
A fundraising page has since been set up to help pay for Teddy's operation, which set Ms Radford and her family back about £1,800.
In a statement, a Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: "On Friday morning, Greater Manchester Police responded to an incident with a dog on Victoria Street in Radcliffe.
"A woman received injuries that are thankfully not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing. A dog has been seized by officers and enquiries are ongoing.”
