A WOMAN whose cocker spaniel was savaged by a Staffordshire bull terrier last weekend is calling for a change in the law to protect people from dangerous dogs before attacks happen.

Claire Adsley, 39, was walking her spaniel Larry in Lydiard Park on Sunday morning when the Staffy broke free from its leash and charged.

Despite attempts by her boyfriend, Peter, 46, to rescue the dog, it suffered severe puncture wounds as a result of the attack.

Claire said the family were left extremely shaken after the incident, and expressed her frustration that despite speaking to police, they were unable to act until the dog injured a person.

“I take my dog to Lydiard Park all the time and he is naturally very gentle and friendly,” she said. “He is a cocker spaniel, and he is not even two yet.

“We were doing the normal walk, and he likes going for a swim in the lake at the moment. We went back up to join the path and my boyfriend threw the ball for him.

“There was a couple there with a Staffy, and they were walking him on the lead, but it saw Larry running and broke through the lead.

“Larry started running back towards us and as he reached us my boyfriend picked him up but the dog latched on to his back leg.

“Larry had puncture wounds and bite marks to his rump and what looked like somebody raked fingernails down him and his skin peeled off.

“He has hurt his muscles where the dog crushed when he was biting. It could have been much, much worse.”

Claire said the owner of the dog injured himself trying to rescue the situation.

“His hands were torn to shreds by his dog, and I appreciate he tried his best to break them apart, but it was not good enough,” she added.

“That dog is dangerous and it is an accident waiting to happen.

“It was going to kill, there is no doubt about that. At one point we were both kicking it in the head to try to dislodge it. We were just doing everything we could to try to get him off.

“The law needs to be changed. At the moment there is no law against dog -on-dog incidents, and the police can’t do anything until it hurts a person.

“That could be a child and it shouldn’t get to that stage.

“They are not held to account.”