A woman suffered horrific injuries after being mauled by a dog she stopped to stroke. Sam Lodge, from Grimsby, was on her way home on Friday, April 1, when she came across a woman walking a whippet-like dog.
The woman informed Sam that the dog was friendly so she bend down to stroke it. She then ended up being savagely mauled in the face, exposing the cartilage on her nose and leaving her with other horrific injuries.
Since the incident, Sam has undergone multiple operations on her face to attempt to grow the skin back but she has now warned that the feeling in her face may never come back.
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Sam, 53, said: "I was out walking and I'd nearly got back to my house when I came across the dog. I love dogs and have always fussed or petted them whenever I've come across them. I asked if the dog was friendly and the owner told me they were so I bent down to pet it.
"It was at that point the dog went for me, nothing like this has ever happened to me before. At first, I just thought the dog had headbutted me and it wasn't until I got home and washed my face that I realised exactly what had happened. It came as quite a shock."
Samstated that she doesn't want the dog put down following an appeal by Humberside Police to help catch those responsible, but she hopes the owners will put a muzzle on the dog in the future to stop it from attacking anyone else. "I'd hate to see the dog put to sleep, I love dogs. I just want people to be more careful and tell people if their dog is not safe."
"If it was a little kid, there could have been much more damage - it clearly wasn't safe." After the incident, Sam went to the hospital to get herself checked out and was told that she'd need extensive surgery to rectify her injuries. She said: "They took a flap of skin off my hairline and attached it to the bridge of my nose.
"They then twisted my nose to help the skin take to it. I've got 16 stitches in my face and I'm now waiting for it to start healing. I've been told it could be 18 months before I get any feeling back in my head and I might never. I don't go out as much at the minute because it's painful for me to walk around in the wind.
"I've got another operation in around three weeks to try and make me look normal again. If I'm honest, I'd like to turn back time. I'm getting bored of not being in work and I'm really hoping I can highlight to others that they need to make sure dogs are safe before people pet them."
A spokesperson from Humberside Police said: "The owner of the dog is described as around 5'7" tall of slim build and in her early 50s. She was wearing glasses, dark clothing and a hoody. The dog is described as a medium-sized, whippet type cross.
"We would appeal for the owner of this dog to come forward. We would also ask that if anyone was in the area at the time of the incident that has information that would help with our enquiries, please call us on our non-emergency number 101 quoting reference 16/43260/22."
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