Dog attack

[pippala]

Yesterday evening my daughter and her BF were walking their 14wk old puppy on an extendable lead past a house on the way home from the park.
A staffordshire bull terrier ran down the driveway of it's house, it had no gate.
It picked the puppy up by its back and shook it.
Because of the lead being extended they couldn't help much as the lead wrapped around their and the dogs legs.
Finally her BF managed to get the puppy out of the dogs mouth but was bitten by the puppy, puppy was terrified.
He passed puppy to my DD and the staffie jumped up chest high and grabbed puppy by the legs and pulled him out of her arms.
At this stage my DD thought puppy was dead.
Youg boy aged about 10 came sauntering down the drive and got staffie off puppy. Staffie had no collar on.
Puppy is at vets still after surgery.
His puppy insurance that was free for 4wks runs out today.
Any advice for us please
Will the police take action?
We want them to pay vets fees or what if puppy doesn't make it? he cost £1,000
We don't want to approch them personally but what about small claims court? Is it possible to claim through the court?
He is a tiny tiny puppy and was dragged out of my daughters hands. He could have been a baby!!!!!!!!
Four witnesses from across the road who tried to help.
I wonder if this dog has history, I want it reported to the police so this dog has a record.
I hope puppy pulls through for my daughters sake, she is devastated.

[Lizcat]

I am a vet and I was in a similar situation 1 year ago when my puppy 15 weeks old at that stage was attacked by a similar dog. I reported the incident to the police, though my mistake was I happened in a public place and I did not get the owners name. If they had been able to identify the owner they would have presented the case to the CPS for assessment.
As to the finances ethically yes they should pay the vets bill, but legally your vets contract is with you and they will expect you to pay and then recoup costs from the third party - the vets will not bill the third party. Having seen a large number of dog attack cases I would renew your insurance today to continue cover so that if the owners won't pay you are not out of pocket. Most insurances to include replacement cost - which I know will not make up for it if the worst should happen.
I hope your puppy recovers. Mine is now a happy healthy one year old despite his external carotid artery having been only just missed.

[pippala]

Thank you so much for your reply.
How is your puppy now when out walking? It must have been a horrible experience for you too.
I am worried the puppy will always be terried of other dogs and not be able to go for walks. Or this might make him aggressive to other dogs.
Just spoken to my DD who can go and bring puppy home later.
He has just passed water for the 1st time. he has three deep holes in his thigh but will recover. Fortunatly he is very badly bruised but no internal bleeding.
The vet had advised reporting to the dog warden. The four witnesses live right opposite the dogs home so hopefully they will say what happened but it may be difficult to live with their neighbours across the road!
Many thanks

[Lizcat]

My boy is absolutely fine with other dogs, but I took him to my dog class 5 days after the attack and introduced him to several very large, but friendly dogs at my dog club. I would advise getting back out on walks as soon as possible. It is also important that you are confident when walking and when meeting other dogs otherwise the pup will pick up on your anxiety. I can not bring myself to walk at the park where the attack happened and more.
My poor mobile mop was bitten very badly around the head, had one of his ears dislocated and one of his legs very badly bitten. It took me 3 hours in surgery to repair the damage. He was bruised for quite a while.

[sneezecakesmum]

I believe if a dog is out of control in a public place and attacks then the owner can be prosecuted, but not so easy if on its own property and someone enters that property. Inform the police at once and have photos and vets bills handy. There seem to be more dogs out of control than ever despite the dangerous dogs act.

[mumofsoontobelawstudent]

how frightening, that poor little puppy, he must have been terrified. I would report to the police. The dog should not have been able to get out onto the road and attack the puppy. What if it was a small child.

It may well have previous so I'd definitely report to the police. Hope puppy is ok