Letter: Traumatic experience in Haywards Heath

On emerging from the wooded path onto the golf course, four dogs, a Doberman and three terrier like dogs bounded from an adjacent field behind us and attacked her miniature poodle which we had on a lead.

I reacted quickly and lifted her dog away but they continued to attack and two terriers were hanging on to him until the combined efforts of me and one of the children pulled them off. The Doberman then lunged at my back as I tried to shield the dog from the terriers.

The poodle was severely bitten and traumatised and required emergency veterinary treatment at considerable cost. The dogs were with a woman, accompanied by two young boys; it appeared there was no means of restraining the dogs and she did nothing during the attack except to say that they were not normally like this. The dogs behaved in an aggressive pack mentality.

I write this letter to highlight the potential danger of such anti-social behaviour of people walking with unleashed dogs. Had we had young children with us the consequences could have been far worse. It’s against the law to let a dog be dangerously out of control anywhere and this incident has been reported to the police.

Ian Woolgar, Haywards Heath