A Scots service dog was rushed to the vet for treatment after being brutally attacked by another dog.
Owner Erin Johnson was walking seven-year-old Reece in Edinburgh city centre on Monday when a canine lunged forward and bit his neck. The 25-year-old was forced to try and fight the other animal off her Poodle as it latched onto his neck.
Erin suffers non-epileptic seizures due to a deficiency in her nervous system and needs Reece to help her complete everyday tasks. She has now been left with the stress of forking out for the bill for Reece's treatment after the attack on West Richmond Street, Edinburgh Live reports.
History student Erin said: “We were walking along West Richmond Street on the way to get some dinner and she stopped suddenly, which isn’t like her.
“I’m not really sure where this dog came from but it was just biting at her and I couldn’t get it off of Reece. I kicked at it a few times, which I feel really bad about because I love dogs but I just didn’t know what to do to help her.
"It let go but then it grabbed at her again. It took the owners more than 30 seconds to respond, at which point they just turned around and faced the wall, acting like I wasn’t there.
“I told them I was phoning the police and once they heard me talking to the handler they started walking away. I wasn’t sure if they were just trying to get to a quieter area and get their dog to calm down, so I followed them to Nicolson Square Gardens.
“Once I got off the phone, they still refused to really acknowledge me and just told me to go away a few times, which I did because I didn’t want to follow a stranger.”
Reece suffered three three puncture wounds, as well as abscesses, and had to receive treatment at the vet the following day.
Erin, who is from America, has now been left with a bill of around £120 and fears the cost could rise.
She said: “I’m a grad student, so I didn’t have the money. And that’s not even taking into account the follow ups, I don’t know how much this will all cost in total.
“Paying that money has really maxed out my budget. I’m over the edge and I don’t really know what I’m going to do.”
Erin relies on Reece to help her everyday and now fears the dog's confidence will be knocked by the incident.
Erin added: “She was actually attacked by another dog recently. Assistance dogs need to be confident because they almost need to navigate the world as a human would.
“My main worry is getting her confidence back. She just doesn’t seem herself just now. We live in student accommodation and the people in the building have commented that she seems more fearful and distant.
“People pretending their dogs are for assistance for their own convenience really harms actual assistance dogs. People saw the attack and now might think service dogs shouldn’t be in public places because that dog was marked as one.
“If people stop letting assistance dogs in shops or other spaces, that really affects my independence and it’s just not right.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We received a report of a dog attacking a service dog on Nicolson Street, Edinburgh around 4.25pm on Monday, 29 May, 2023.
"Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
