Wedding planner badly hurt in dog attack says 'police failed her'

Kate Lithgow says despite reporting what happened and showing police horrific images of her bites that needed stitches, officers did nothing to stop the animal leaving the area with its owners and their children in a motorhome.

Seven months after the terrifying attack, Kate is still waiting for official responses from complaints about Police Scotland’s failure to take action and stop the dog, which was still a pup, from injuring someone else - or worse.

"I will take this as far as I can. I was failed by police right from the start. It’s too late to stop what happened to me but it’s not too late to keep other people safe from dangerous dogs in the future," she said.

Kate, who has two dogs of her own, still has a large scar and pain in her arm as well as more bite marks on her legs inflicted as she tried to get away but she says the emotion she struggles with most is the frustration at the local police’s initial apparent lack of concern.

"I don’t want to be anywhere near a German Shepherd. What needed to happen before they would’ve taken immediate action? Did they want me to bring my arm in a plastic bag?

"Those officers allowed that couple and their dog to drive past the police station and drive all the way round Scotland. I gave them all their details, told them there was children with them," said Kate.

If a dog attacks a sheep, it can legally be shot.

Kate said: "I’d hate to see a dog euthanised but it’s a huge concern when a dog has no bite inhibition."

"Our local police need to take dog crime more seriously. I’m aware that there are other people who have had similar experiences to myself but someone has got to take a stand and urge the police to take more action against crimes like this. If they had done something about it at the time, I would’ve moved on but they didn’t."

Kate went straight to Lochgilphead Police Station on May 23 after leaving hospital where her friend Jennifer Campbell showed two police officers phone pictures of the injuries received.

Although officers at that time did write information down, when Kate returned to the station later there was no log of her having been there to report what happened.

After more visits to Lochgilphead Police Station and calls to Police Scotland, a statement was eventually taken from her and a crime reference given. However, no updates were given in the weeks that followed and Kate had to repeatedly follow it up herself.

Call handlers at Police Scotland were "empathetic" said Kate, but in the end she was told they were not going to do anything.

Kate said officers from Lochgilphead told her if they chased up every dog bite in Argyll, they would not get anything else done. She said she was also told by police that the procurator fiscal would throw the case out as there was no supporting evidence - although it was witnessed by a young person.

Kate contacted the procurator fiscal in Campbeltown to ask if it was correct that the case would be thrown out.

On the morning of the attack, Kate had walked into the wedding venue in Mid Argyll to say hello to the couple in the run-up to their big day.

She claimed: "The dog just went for me. It came running out of a room. I saw its jaws open and its feet take off. The next thing I knew it had chomped into my arm and I felt this terrible pain. I’m lucky it didn’t go through an artery. I tried to get away but it followed me, biting me twice more. I was screaming and did manage to get back to the kitchen. I was hyperventilating and in shock. I’m only 5ft 2ins... it could’ve pushed me over and gone for my head."

Worried about the dog, Kate got in touch with the dog warden in the couple’s home area in England but was told it was definitely a police matter.

"So I rang their local station and they took a statement from me. Officers did go to the home to carry out a welfare check on the children but because there was no previous incident noted about the dog, which was a rescue dog, they said they could not do anything."

Kate has enlisted the help of Mid Argyll councillor Dougie Philand who has taken up her concerns with Police Scotland and is waiting for a reply. He said he was "surprised" no action was taken

He said: "When Kate showed me the photos of her injuries I was horrified. I’ve asked police that given the seriousness of the attack and the injuries, why was no action taken? I’ve not heard back from them yet but I won’t be letting this go.

"I’ve heard of other dog attacks on people in the area. It’s anecdotal as to whether they’ve been reported or not so I wouldn’t want to comment on them but it’s my sincere hope that any such attack reported to the police would receive immediate attention and action."