Police appeal after donkey savaged by dog
A donkey was left with an open wound after being attacked by a dog on a beach.
Pestells Eliza Dolittle (Eliza), was being led along Scarborough Beach with another donkey, Toffee, when the incident took place on 7 January.
A man approached the donkeys with his dog, who was not on a lead.
“His dog started to attack Eliza and took a chunk out of her leg,” Eliza’s owner, Rachael Phillips told H&H.
“Her knee was bleeding profusely where it grabbed her.”
Lifeguards came to 16-year-old Eliza’s assistance and provided bandages for her wound.
Police were contacted and Eliza was taken to the vet for treatment.
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“She’s fine in the field but what she’ll be like back at the beach I do not know,” said Rachael.
“After something as dramatic as that she might not want to bother again.
“The only Godsend is that Eliza didn’t have a child on her back — they could have been bitten as well.”
Rachael, owner of Little Rascals Donkey Rides, has had Eliza for seven years.
She owns more 40 donkeys, many of whom were rescued.
“Eliza is a very valued member of our team,” added Rachael.
“She has her moments like all donkeys, but you’ve got to humour them.”
A police spokesman said the force is appealing for witnesses.
“We urge anyone who was on Scarborough beach at around 11.45am on Saturday 7 January and saw what happened to contact the police,” she said.
“The donkey suffered an open wound, and her carer was also injured as a result of the donkey’s reaction to being bitten.
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“The dog, a brown staffie type with a red collar or harness, was with two adults and a child at the time.
“We urge them or anyone who can help identify them, to come forward.”
Members of the public can contact police on 101, quoting incident number 12170005288.
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Rachael joined Horse & Hound in 2014, initially as a digital sub editor then became part of the news team as a writer in 2015. The philosophy graduate studied journalism at the Press Association before working as a local reporter at the Brentwood Gazette. Rachael is now a mum of two and still loves all things equestrian, including hacking, dressage and jumping with her cob Bert. Rachael left the H&H staff to go freelance in June 2019, but still contributes to our magazine and website, as well as our sister magazine Country Life, among others.