Two women fall victim to dog attacks in St Albans within a week of each other

The victim sustained a minor injury to her arm during the attack (Image: Archant)

On October 13 a woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, and her Staffie cross, were attacked along Beech Road in St Albans by two ‘demonic’ dogs.

The following Monday (19) saw another woman, Jo Minchin, sustain injuries to her leg after a black Labrador ‘launched’ at her and her mongrel, Cheese.

The first victim, who is in her 40s, was walking her dog Chalky, when she was approached by another woman with two Border Terriers and a Pointer.

The two terriers then started barking at the victim’s dog and as she tried to walk past, one of the terriers broke away from their lead and subsequently both dogs attacked her and her dog.

The victim sustained a minor injury to her arm during the attack (Image: Archant)

The woman told the Herts Advertiser: “They were both attacking. I was pulling one dog off [my dog] and then the other repeatedly.

“They were absolutely demonic dogs, I’ve never seen dogs so aggressive.

“What I’m fuming about is that if the boot was on the other foot then we would have had hell to pay because of Chalky’s breed and the stigma around it.

“He’s such a lovely dog and such a softie, but if someone saw the fight they would assume it was his fault because he’s a Staffie.”

Some of the bruising on Jo's leg after she was attacked by the dog (Image: Archant)

She suffered a puncture mark to her wrist and scratches to her arm after shielding her dog during the attack.

She added: “It wasn’t the worst bite but I’m just really peed off that a woman is going round with those dogs.”

The terriers’ walker is said to be a white woman, aged between 55 and 60 years old, with blonde or reddish short bobbed hair. She was wearing a light blue coat.

The second victim, Jo Minchin, a professional dog walker for Woof Woof walks, was exercising her own dog on Monday at about 3.30pm in Heartwood Forest when she saw a man approach but could not see his dog.

She said: “I put my dog on the lead, and took him off the path and made him sit as he can sometimes be barky, but not aggressive, with uncastrated dogs, particularly black male Labradors.”

The man then said that he did have a black male boy. Jo added: “It launched from nowhere, he came flying out with his teeth bared, I didn’t see it coming. There was no sniffing around first and my dog wasn’t even retaliating. He was just trying to use his head to get him away.”

During the attack, Jo suffered an injury to her leg.

She continued: “When I told the man he kept on telling me to ‘shut up’, and then said ‘show me’, I’m not going to take my trousers off and show him.

“What I noticed about the whole thing is that not once did he say the dog’s name. If that was me I would be shouting my dog’s name to get him off. He didn’t even act surprised, he was so nonchalant.”

Jo asked the man for his details, which he refused to give. She said: “I just want to find him to make sure that his dog is muzzled from now on and this doesn’t happen again.”

She described him as: “White, in his 50’s, balding but with closely shaved hair, stocky and was wearing a dark navy fleece top.”

If you have any information on either incident, please get in contact with the police via the non-emergency number 101, or anonymously on 0800 555 111.