THE OWNER of a dog from Chippenham who was ‘brutally attacked’ while out on a walk in town needs help with £1,500 in vet costs.

The dog ‘came out of nowhere’ and set upon greyhound Poppy leaving her needing more than 100 stitches earlier this month.

A close friend of Poppy’s owner, Kerry Lucas said: “Unfortunately the owner of the other dog took no responsibility and left the scene without giving any details.

“The vet has had to reattach the flesh needing over 100 stitches, and there’s still a hole in her side where the dog has torn the flesh right off, so there’s nothing to reattach in that area.”

Caution: graphic image below.

Reflecting on the aftermath, she added: “It’s been horrendous and extremely traumatic for Poppy; and also her mum!”

Since the attack, Poppy’s owner has been desperate to get the funds together to pay for the full vet bill, having not had any support from the other dog’s owner, so her friend has stepped up to try and make a difference by creating a gofundme page.

Kerry said: “Poppy’s owner is a long time Greyhound rescuer and owner who lives in Chippenham. She can always be seen around the area walking many greyhounds along with the odd other breed, as she takes in as many dogs as she possibly can, if it means it will prevent them being put to sleep after racing.”

Kerry noted that her friend would refuse to put a dog down for anything other than poor health.

She said: “Her home and life has been dedicated to these dogs for over 40 years. So I would really like to give her a helping hand to help with this recent tragedy.”

Wiltshire Times: Poppy's skin reattached after brutal attackPoppy's skin reattached after brutal attack

It has been a demanding process financially for Poppy’s owner so far, but things have been starting to look up since the fundraiser kicked off. So far, they have raised £580 of their £1500 goal to pay the full vet costs, and the figure keeps going up.

Kerry said: “Poppy has already needed surgery, antibiotics and continuous visits to the vet, with her bill amounting to well over £1000 already.

“We’ve appealed locally for information regarding the owner who should be responsible for these bills, but we’ve not been able to identify her.”

Kerry is keen to raise as much as possible having explained to Poppy’s owner that she doesn’t have to struggle alone.

She added: “Any donations, no matter how small, would be a great help. She didn’t even realise she could ask for help, so I’ve explained how this works and set it up for her. I only hope that we can raise some money for her to help little Poppy.”

The fundraiser has already had a positive response from people who have donated, with dozens expressing their sympathy for the incident and wishing Poppy well.

One man even gave an individual donation of £100.

Timothy Wikeley commented on the page: “An amazing lady! I’m pleased to support this excellent cause! But let’s find the lady and dog responsible for this crime!”

Kathy Coates donated £10, noting: “She deserves to be cared for.”

To donate to the fundraiser, find the gofundme page here.