A school boy’s beloved puppy had to be put down after yet another dog-attack in the city,
Joseph Singleton, 7, was walking 12-week-old Tessa around on her lead in the front garden of his home at Morehill Crescent, Ribbleton, Preston on Wednesday evening when the tragedy happened.
His mum, Shona, 31, said; “It all happened so quickly, I didn’t even see the other dog when it attacked Tessa.
“We were more concerened about the puppy and getting her away from the attacking dog.”
Tessa, a whippet bought for Joseph to replace an older dog, sustained a broken jaw and suffered bleeding on her lungs. She was taken to a vets in Penwortham but sadly, there was little to be done.
Understandably, Joseph and his four-year-old sister, Leah, who both attend Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School, Ribbleton, have been left devastated by the loss of their puppy.
Shona said: “They are both just so distraught over what happened to Tessa.
“Joseph and Leah got out of bed this morning and went to her bed to find her.
“When she wasn’t there they just broke down in tears again.”
Facing a possible bill of over £1,000 to provide the treatment needed for Tessa, the couple took the puppy to the Blackpool branch of the PDSA who normally treat animals for free if their owners are on benefits.
However, as the centre had treated a dog registered to the family before in the last twelve months, they were unable to provide the free service.
Shona, who is married to Christopher, said stray dogs are a regular occurance around where they live.
She said: “There are a few dogs that wander around near our house but I have never seen one attack another, this was totally out of the blue.”
Animal-mad Joseph also counts chickens and rabbits amongst his menagerie of pets and has now been bought another puppy, a Jack Russell cross breed, named Paddy.
Shona said: “His grandma has bought him another puppy to help him get over seeing what happened to Tessa.”
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