ON THE MEND: Mr G and Jeanette Smith are both recovering after a vicious dog attack

ON THE MEND: Mr G and Jeanette Smith are both recovering after a vicious dog attack Rachel Vercoe

MOST mornings Toormina locals, Jeanette Smith and Mr G enjoy a walk.

One of their favourite paths takes them by the reserve near the intersection of Cavanba Rd and Lady Belmore Drive.

Unfortunately, Saturday's stroll in this area cost $184 in vet bills and has left both shaken.

"Mr G and I were on our usual walk," Jeanette said.

"He's my 'shiranian' - a shih tzu and pomeranian cross. He's a gorgeous little dog, friendly with such a lovely nature.

"On Saturday my friend and I were walking with Mr G who was on a lead. We weren't far from home when two dogs, a staffy and a smaller dog, both not on leashes came close to us. At first there wasn't a problem, we thought 'the owners will be here any second' and the dogs were all wagging their tails.

"In an instant everything changed. The staffy was on Mr G; it was terrifying. He had him by the neck. I started screaming and my friend hit the staffy trying to get him to let go but it made no difference. By now it was clear the owners of these dogs were not anywhere around.

"A gentleman heard us screaming and rushed over. He hit the staffy a few times fairly hard and finally it let go of Mr G.

"My poor little darling, his eyes were bulging he was so terrified. At first I didn't notice Mr G was injured because he has so much hair but he kept whimpering. The staffy had punctured the back of Mr G's neck."

The vet's treatment included a staple, two injections and medication.

Mr G wasn't the only victim of this attack.

"After I got Mr G sorted at the vet I took myself off to the doctor," Jeanette said.

"During the attack I got a gash on my arm which needed stitches. I've had a tetanus shot and am also on antibiotics.

"I have reported the incident to the ranger but he did say it's hard to get dogs that are out roaming as they're often long gone by the time a ranger gets to the location."

Jeanette is telling her story in the hope it will alert dog owners to be responsible and check their backyards to ensure their pets can't escape.

"My neighbour said a bit later that same morning she saw two women drive down our street who stopped, called out to a couple of dogs running loose and put them in the car. From the description of the dogs, it's quite possible these were the same dogs who earlier attacked us.

"Dog owners need to make sure their dogs are not roaming the streets, I would hate what happened to me and Mr G happen to someone else."