A WOMAN who was injured during a dog attack in St Neots and whose dog sustained serious injuries is urging pet owners to be on their guard.

A WOMAN who was injured during a dog attack in St Neots and whose dog sustained serious injuries is urging pet owners to be on their guard.

Brenda Saywell agreed to be interviewed by the Hunts Post about the “savagery attack” in a bid to warn others.

She had been walking her Affen Pincher, called Frodo, in Falstaff Road when a teenage girl with a German Shepherd passed on the opposite side of the road.

The light-coloured German Shepherd broke free from the girl and attacked three-year-old Frodo. It held the dog in its mouth and shook it. In trying to rescue her beloved pet, Mrs Saywell suffered a minor bite to her hand.

Describing the attack, which took place at about 8am on Tuesday, September 7, 63-year-old Mrs Saywell said: “The girl was clearly having trouble controlling the dog. The German Shepherd was on a flexi lead and it knocked the girl to the ground as it made a ran for Frodo.

“It shook Frodo as if it was intent on killing him. It bit right through him. It was complete savagery and was completely unprovoked.

“When I picked Frodo up he was all floppy and I thought he was dead.”

She said the young girl did not apologise and Frodo had to undergo surgery due to the internal injuries he sustained. Vets bills have so far totalled more than �400.

Mrs Saywell, who lives in Eaton Ford, said the injuries could have cost Frodo his life.

“The first 24 hours were touch and go and we did not know if he would live or die,” she said.

“He is now walking but in a lot of pain.”

But Mrs Saywell is not only fearful for the safety of her beloved companion and believes the German Shepherd could attack again.

The grandmother of two said: “I’m so concerned that next time it could be a child this dog goes for.

“This attack could so easily have been avoided. The dog should be muzzled at all times and if it has attacked before than it should be put down. The streets are no place for such an aggressive animal. It is a danger to the public.”

Police are trying to trace the owner of the German Shepherd, which was being walked on a pink-handled lead by a girl of about 14 years.

PC Lorna Owen, investigating, said: “Luckily the dog was not seriously injured but it could have been worse and the German Shepherd was clearly not under control.

“Anyone who believes they know who owns this dog should contact police.”

INFORMATION: Anyone with information can contact PC Owen, anonymously, on 0345 4564564.