A dog owner bit a man on the leg to protect his elderly pet. Sean Armstrong was walking his 12-year-old Staffie when Skye was attacked by another dog.
The 37-year-old, who has mild cerebral palsy and mild learning difficulties, says the Staffie-type dog pounced on Skye, who has recently had an operation. Sean says the dogs' owner then starting screaming and kicking Skye. Sean, who was knocked to the ground, says he saw the man kneeling on his dog's neck and to defend her struck in the only way he could - by biting the man's leg, reports Stoke-on-Trent-Live.
Sean said: "I came across this man with four young male Staffordshire bull terriers, all off their leads. My dog has recently had an operation and one of these dogs attacked her - and then this guy started kicking her.
"I confronted him and told him to stop. He squared up to me, then all of a sudden he headbutted me breaking my glasses. I fell to the ground completely covered in dirt. I then noticed him kneeling on my dog's neck and I went into a blind rage.
"I couldn't really let this man kill her so I bit him on the back of his leg. He then stopped and went away but not before I told him that I would phone the police, which I did as soon as I got home."
Sean has been left with a black eye and a cut cheek. He has had to spend £97 on a new pair of glasses to replace the ones broken in the assault, while Skye is limping and has bruising to her leg.
Police attended the scene and searched for the man but were unable to find him. Sean describes him as 'middle-aged, large build, with grey stubble, wearing a green padded waistcoat with tracksuit bottoms and wellington boots'.
He added: "I am not a violent man and I don't go out looking for trouble. I was frightened, I was on the floor, I couldn't see very well, and it was an instinctive fight or flight response.
"At the end of the day it could have been a lot worse than a black eye and a pair of broken glasses - but I have had to spend £97 that I didn't have to spare. I hope someone will come forward with information because I'm so worried he will do it again."
A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said: "We were called at 1.10pm on Tuesday, October 25, to a report of an assault in an area off Biddulph Road in Chell.
"A man in his 30s, who was walking his dog at the time, suffered minor facial injuries following an altercation. Officers attended and completed an area search."
Any witnesses can contact Staffordshire Police quoting incident number 300 of October 25.
