‘Scarred for life’ after bring mauled by pet dog
AN elderly couple offered a neighbour £10 for a taxi to hospital and a box of tissues after she was mauled and left scarred for life by their pet dog.
Former solder James Bridge, 67, handed the woman the bank note after she was bitten on the hand and suffered a ruptured artery.
Bridge and his wife have now been ordered to pay the victim £1,000 in compensation.
The woman, who had stopped to tie her shoelaces, was left bleeding heavily in the street after the Staffordshire Bull Terrier pounced. It was let loose in Mr Bridge’s front garden by his 71-year old wife Catherine.
Binmen on their rounds attempted to bandage the woman’s wounds.
She later underwent reconstructive surgery, spending a total of four days in hospital.
The Bridges, who have been married for 31 years and live in Ashtonunder-Lyne, Tameside, were charged under Dangerous Dog offences, but were allowed to keep the animal.
In a statement, the victim said: “I have lost the feeling in all my fingers on that hand. The feelings are slowly coming back, but don’t know how long this will take. There is now a large scar on the palm of my hand.
“Everyday tasks like washing my hair are difficult. The dog still sits in the front garden and each time I walk past, it barks and makes me jump. I suffer from anxiety and this makes it worse.”
Ex-railway worker Mr Bridge, who served in Royal Army Medical Corps, and his wife, faced having their pet destroyed after they admitted having a dangerous dog out of control.
But the judge ruled the animal was ‘not a danger to public safety.’
Probation officers said the Bridges, who have children and grandchildren, were ‘responsible and respectable owners.’
The judge ordered that the animal be muzzled and tethered to a lead whenever the Bridges let it out into their front garden, under the terms of a contingency destruction order.
The couple initially denied wrongdoing, claiming the woman’s injury was caused by putting her hand on a nail as she leaned on their fence to steady herself.
The incident happened on June 2 last year after the victim was walking passed the couple’s home on her way to meet her boyfriend.
The couple were also each fined £500 and ordered to pay £300 costs.
District judge Mark Hadfield said: ‘’This was a very serious offence and the complainant suffered very severe injuries to her hand, which resulted in permanent scaring and a period of time with difficulties in using her hand.’’