Luton community rallies to help woman seriously injured in dog attack which killed her pet

A woman seriously injured in a dog attack in Luton during which her pet was killed, is still in hospital according to friends.

A GoFundMe page, set up to help with vet’s bills after a vain bid to save her dog when it was savaged by three larger dogs on Lyneham Road in Luton on February 25, has raised more than £2,500.

Passersby ran out from local shops to help rescue the woman and her pet. The attacking dogs were rounded up by the police.

Robert Spragg, who set up the fundraiser and has seen the incident on CCTV at his computer shop, said: “Two of the ladies who were working in Prudens Bakery at the time witnessed the attack and one went out to help. She can be seen on the CCTV footage trying to rescue the victim’s dog, while two of the three attacking dogs had it gripped in their jaws and were throwing it around like a rag-doll.

"I only witnessed it by replaying it all on our high-definition CCTV system, however myself and a co-worker heard the commotion in the street and went out to help shortly afterwards.

"The lady from the bakery had managed to rescue the little dog and get him into the bakery for safety, while two members of the public detained the main two attacking dogs (the third ran off).

"The dog was obviously badly injured and was being comforted by the staff in the bakery. My co-worker went home to grab a blanket, while another member of staff from the bakery went home and grabbed their car.

"I phoned our local vet to see if they could help, but they were unable to and referred us directly to the out-of-hours emergency vets in Barton. I phoned the vets to inform them of what was going on, whilst another member of staff from the bakery and her daughter drove to the vets – with my co-worker in the back of the car comforting the little dog.”

He decided to set up a GoFundMe after hearing the dog was not covered by insurance. Robert said: “The page was set up within the hour, and it took about 75 minutes to reach the target amount for the vets bill! Donations have continued to pour in, including a cash donation into our shop from someone who doesn’t use the internet.

“The whole community have rallied around to help the lady, and several have visited her in hospital including the vicar from St Francis Church in Carteret Road.”

There is also talk of a small memorial at the church for the pet dog.

A police spokesman said last week: “The woman suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital, and one dog was subsequently put to sleep due the severity of the injuries. The woman remains in hospital and is receiving treatment and bereavement support. The other dogs were seized by police.

“The investigation continues, and members of the public with information regarding this incident are encouraged to contact us on 101 or using our online reporting centre quoting the reference 40/10627/23.”