Family’s tiny pup had to have organs removed after being ‘brutally mauled’ by large dog

Stacey Clarke said she was walking her sister’s Shih Tzu Teddy on Wednesday morning in Pickie Fun Park, Bangor, when “out of the blue” a large dog “made a beeline” for him, grabbing the small dog in its mouth.

The nine-minute long attack has now left Teddy with extensive injuries, including the removal of a kidney and 20cm of his intestine, alongside a crushed pancreas.

In an emotional interview, Stacey described “the sounds” of the beloved family dog being attacked.

“It was the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen or heard. You don’t really think of the sounds, but the sounds were beyond awful,” she said.

“When the dog ran over, he knocked me off my feet, it just charged right at us.”

She said the attack only stopped when a stranger – who she called an “angel” – kicked the attacking dog three times, causing it to lose its breath and release its grip on Teddy, who turns eight on Saturday.

However, their horror soon resumed. Stacey said that once released from its mouth, the other dog was yet again able to quickly grab Teddy to continue the attack, only for the stranger to kick him again.

"She just had to kick him again and again until he stopped, it was awful.”

Stacey and her friend then rushed a bloodied Teddy to a local vet where he went straight into surgery to save his life – but due to the extent of his injuries, he soon had to be moved to a specialist veterinary hospital in Belfast to receive 24-hour care.

“Teddy was in surgery before we even left the vets. It’s only today (Sunday) Teddy has ate and walked for the first time since it happened. They’ve tried to lessen his pain relief but he can’t handle it.

“The vets are telling us there are no signs of Teddy coming out any time soon, but they have said when he eventually comes home he’ll have to be a day patient and we’ll get him at night.”

Stacey has said Teddy’s first surgery alone was £4,000, and despite having insurance it is something she and her family “simply cannot afford”, and so they have set up a GoFundMe to help cover the costs.

She said she after bills began mounting she reached out to the owner of the dog that attacked Teddy for help.

“We initially had good communication, as he reported his dog to the dog warden. He told us he got the dog from a farm and it had been previously used for illegal dog fighting and had chewed through three muzzles,” she said.

“But this changed when we rang him and told him about Teddy’s vet bills. We know he’s not legally required to help but morally he should be. He just said he couldn’t afford it.”

She said she’s since been told the dog now is subject to orders and isn’t allowed out without a muzzle and a “tight lead”.

“But that’s all - his dog is still alive,” she said.

Stacey has said the ordeal has now left her traumatised and recalled she and her son seeing a small dog during the week outside his school. “Straight away I panicked and told my son he wasn’t allowed near it because I was so scared of dogs. Even right now, I can’t even hear a dog barking - it sets me off."

The GoFundMe for aid Teddy’s vet bills can be found here.