THE BIGGEST STORIES ACROSS BRISTOL IN YOUR INBOX SIGN UP Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Police are appealing for witnesses after a Staffordshire Bull Terrier attacked a couple’s dog in Eastville Park.

Married couple Natalie and Laura Howell-Martin were out walking their two-year-old Beagle Collie crossbreed, Dolly, at 1.30pm yesterday (December 19).

They say a Terrier bit into Dolly’s neck for at least two minutes and also injured Natalie’s hand.

Natalie, 43, said: “Our dog could easily have died. To us, our pets are our babies. We are very traumatised.”

The Eastville couple claim the Terrier’s owner ran away with his dog as they went to call police.

They believe he is responsible for the attack, as the dog was unmuzzled and on a long lead.

'I didn't think we had long'

Natalie said: “We went into the park as we normally would, with Dolly and our chihuahua Kiki Dees.

“Dolly has a muzzle, and we let her off her lead. She saw another dog in the distance, ran over and did a play stance with her front paws. She’s a well-socialised dog.

“The next we knew, there was a kerfuffle going on. The Staffy had our dog’s neck in its mouth.

“We were running over, saying to the Staffy’s owner he needed to control his dog.”

The man allegedly replied: “I can’t. It’s a rescue. I’ve only had it three days.”

Both women were screaming for help, as Dolly was whimpering in pain.

“I didn’t think we had long to save her,” Natalie said. “Dolly was bleeding and it was incredibly upsetting.

“Eventually I covered his dog’s eyes, because someone had told me about that trick a long time ago.

“The Staffy didn’t let go, but he loosened his jaw, and that was enough to get Dolly’s neck out. We were extremely lucky to get her out alive.”

'Please don't ring police'

Natalie’s little finger on her right hand was bleeding heavily, after being bitten in her efforts to extricate her dog from the Staffy’s mouth.

When Natalie told the man his dog should be muzzled, he allegedly said: “I know.”

She added: “He was saying, ‘Please don’t ring police. I will pay you.’

“As soon as I rang 999, he ran away with his dog.

“He ran away with the lead for our chihuahua because it had got mixed up with ours while everything was going on.”

When Natalie shouted after him that he had dropped his black beanie hat, he allegedly carried on running and yelled: “I don’t care.”

Dolly was left with two puncture wounds in her neck, while patches of fur had been ripped off. Natalie and Laura took her to PDSA Pet Hospital on Bath Road for treatment.

Natalie said: “The main wound has been weeping. It couldn’t be stitched at the vet hospital.

“We’re going to need vet visits for it to be checked on. It’s more than likely to be infected.”

'Traumatic'

Natalie’s finger was X-rayed at Southmead Hospital, where she got it bandaged. It is still very sore.

She said: “It really is traumatic because Dolly was very quiet last night, licking her wound. We are nervous about walking her now.

“Even if you’re not a dog lover, you have to think the next time this Staffy attacks someone it could be a child.

“We don’t judge Staffys just because of their breed. As dog owners we are responsible for our pets. If you draw blood from a human, something has to be done.

“We muzzle our dog because we think it’s the right thing to do for everyone, not because she has any aggressive tendencies. Dogs are unpredictable.”

Natalie says the man was calling his pet Bear. She described it as being brown with a white chest.

The dog’s owner is described as being white, in his 20s, about 5ft 6ins tall, with blonde hair. He was wearing a beige top and black shorts.

What police say

An Avon and Somerset police spokesman said: “We received a report at about 1.30pm yesterday that a dog had bitten a woman’s hand in Eastville Park.

“The woman was trying to prevent the Staffordshire Bull Terrier attacking her own dog.

“We are appealing for witnesses to the incident or anyone who recognises the description of the dog owner to call 101, quoting log 532 of December 19.”

For the latest news in and around Bristol, visit and bookmark Bristol Live's homepage.

You can follow us on Twitter here and on Facebook here and here.

You can also join our traffic and travel, crime and parenting Facebook groups.