Bispham dog owner left with £5,000 vets bill after their puppy is attacked by Akita tied up outside a shop

A couple from Bispham were landed with a £5k vets bills after their puppy was attacked by a large dog while out for a walk.

Owner Belinda Cross, from Bispham, says her pet Mica, a Shih Tzu/Bichon Frise cross who was 15 months old at the time of the incident last month has also been ‘psychologically scarred’.

The dog that attacked Mica is believed to be an Akita. They are not banned in the UK but are a large, powerful breed, and original bred as a hunting or fighting dog.

"She just hasn’t been the same dog since,” said Belinda. "She was outgoing previously but not since it happened. She was in the vets for several days and had to go back daily afterwards for checks and treatment.”

Mica suffered torn muscles and damage to the scapula bone in the incident, which happened as Belinda’s husband Peter was coming out of a shop after picking up supplies during an evening walk.

"It was Mica last walk of the day and Peter popped in for a few things,” said Belinda. "As they were leaving, after several minutes in there, the shop assistant said to ‘be careful’ leaving as there is a big dog outside.

“No sooner had Peter emerged from the shop with Mica alongside him on her lead than the bigger dog, on a long lead, went for Mica and had her by the neck.

"Mica eventually managed to wrest herself out of her collar and ran off into a nearby bush for cover.

"As Peter caught up, she was really distressed and bleeding and we took her to the emergency vet in St Annes, where she had treatment to her neck wounds for several days.

"They were worried about her for a time, especially the scapula injury.

"She’s physically recovering but it is so sad to see how her character has changed.

“We contacted the Blackpool Council dog warden over the attack, as we don’t want anything similar to happen to anyone else.”

A Blackpool Council spokesman said they were investigating the incident.