Dog attack at Bolton's Bench in Lyndhurst leaves mum-to-be devastated after her pet has to be put down

A HEARTBROKEN mum-to-be was left “totally traumatised” after seeing her dog attacked so badly by another pet that it had to be put down.

Zara Buchanan, who is 37 weeks’ pregnant, had to spend the money she had saved to buy things for her baby on a £3,000-plus vet bill after the incident.

She was on a walk with partner Martin Davis and their beloved 15-year-old schnauzer/poodle-cross Raffi at Bolton’s Bench, Lyndhurst, on Saturday.

She told the A&T: “Raffi was on a lead when suddenly this large grey dog walked over.

“He sniffed around Raffi then just launched an attack on him.

“It was horrific, he was just shaking Raffi everywhere, then pinned him to the floor. Martin leapt in and got them apart. We could see Raffi was really badly injured. He couldn’t even walk.”

A woman came over to get the other dog but “didn’t seem to care at all” about what had happened.

Zara continued: “She put her dog on a lead and said, ‘He wasn’t going to kill him’, then walked off.

“A man she was with came over to see if he could help us.

“He told us he was on a blind date with the woman from Christchurch and was completely shocked by what had happened.”

Two women also came over and said they had seen the dog worrying cattle and horses earlier at the same spot.

Raffi was rushed to the vets and was kept in over the weekend. But when Zara took him home his condition worsened.

She said: “The vets said to prepare for the worst as his injuries had caused him to go into heart failure.

“We had a little time with him at home, then we had to take him back and then say goodbye to him Tuesday.

“We are utterly heartbroken. He meant the world to us.”

She reported the incident to Hampshire police which advised her to contact New Forest District Council’s dog warden.

She has also put appeals out on social media asking for the “kind” man who was the blind-date to get in touch with any information.

Zara said: “Her dog is clearly dangerous. I don’t want anyone else to go through what we have. We are beyond devastated.

“I am hoping the guy who was with her will see this and pass on her details to the relevant authorities.

“Her dog needs to be on a lead and muzzled.”