Police are calling for the public’s help after a woman was attacked by two dogs and left with horrific injuries.
Sarah Blaylock, 56, is still struggling to walk two months after the incident and at one point was given the prospect of plastic surgery.
Her leg injuries were so bad that they were compared to injuries caused by garden machinery.
And the attack was so quick and brutal that Sarah still can’t remember any details of it.
She said of the incident in Rossett, Wrexham, on Sunday, July 24: ‘I must have blocked it.’
North Wales Police have since obtained details of the dogs that may have been involved and are trying to track down a dark-colored Opel Insignia estate that may have been driven by their owners.
The dogs were both ‘Mastiff types’, one gray, the other brindle.
At the time of the attack, around 8:35 p.m., Sarah was walking her own dog, a Springer Spaniel named Wilf.
Dog walker Sarah Blaylock, 56, suffered horrific leg injuries after being attacked by two Mastiff-esque dogs on the outskirts of Rossett, Wrexham, while walking her pet Wilf
North Wales Police are calling for information on the two dogs and their owners and are keen to track down a dark-colored Opel Insignia estate that they may have been driving
Sarah struggles to walk long distances and is still too traumatized to even consider talking out her own dog, Wilf, after the animal’s attack
As she passed Rossett business park along a country lane, she heard a scream and turned to see two dogs rushing toward her.
“It all happened so fast,” she said. “I imagine the woman was screaming because the dogs had gotten loose and were running towards me. Later the police told me I shouldn’t have run, but that was my instinct, and looking back on it, I wish I hadn’t.
“The dogs seemed to circle us. I stopped running when I saw someone pinned Wilf on his back. I didn’t realize it, but the other one had followed me. It attacked me, but I don’t really remember being bitten.’
A man ran to the crime scene to retrieve a pink phone his partner had dropped and promised Sarah he would come back to check on her condition. Instead, according to police, the couple jumped into their car and sped off with the dogs, leaving Sarah bleeding on the road.
Incredibly, she managed to stagger for a bit before a startled motorist pulled up to help. Because she was bleeding so profusely and not wanting to wreck the Good Samaritan’s car, they both continued on to Lavister, where help came through the Nag’s Head Pub.
Sarah’s husband Mike took her to Wrexham Maelor Hospital, where X-rays were taken out of concern that her tibia might be broken. Even now, two months later, her wounds are still being groomed three times a week because the infection has started.
Dog walker Sarah Blaylock, 56, suffered horrific leg injuries after being attacked by two Mastiff-esque dogs on Rossett’s outskirts
Friends were shocked. “You should have seen her leg,” one woman wrote on Facebook. “She looked like she had been mutilated with a hedge trimmer.”
Who is to blame – the dogs or their owners? Have your say in the comments below.
Her family is still dealing with the aftermath. Sarah, policy manager at Cheshire West and Chester Council, has been given a two-week leave of absence and is now back at work in her home office in Rossett. But she’s been forced to quit, leaving her unable to socialize, walk Wilf, and take on many household chores.
“I was traumatized, but at that point I didn’t really feel any pain,” she said. “I think Mike was more bothered by it because he saw the injury and had to deal with everything that came after that.
“The hospital’s emergency department said they were the worst dog bites they’d ever seen. I believe the deepest one happened because the dog’s owner tore it off me while his jaws were still clamped to my leg.
“I’ve been told to take it easy so that the muscles and tendons have time to heal. I’ve just started taking short trips in the car again, but if I do too much my leg swells up again.’
The NWP Wrexham Rural police team is asking the public to help track down the owners of the Opel Insignia. “Maybe they can help with the investigation,” said a spokesperson. ‘We also want everyone who knows similar dogs to report.
‘The dogs were with a male and a female. The female is described as being about 5ft 5ft with brown hair tied back, and the male is described as being of similar length with dark hair. The couple ran off with the dogs before the male returned and picked up a pink phone.’
Sarah hopes the call will help others avoid what she’s been through. “It ruined our summer, but it could have been so much worse,” she said. “An inch or two to the left, or a little deeper, and the dog could have hit an artery and I would have bled to death.
Anyone who can assist with the investigation is requested to contact police at 101 or through the NWP live web chat facility. The crime reference number is 22000533629.