Owner in Brighton court after her dog attacked a donkey

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A dog had to be punched five times before he let go of a donkey he had locked his jaws around in a terrifying attack.

The Staffordshire bull terrier had to be separated by his owners after biting the face of the donkey in Easthill Park, Portslade.

A magistrate has now ordered the four-year-old dog, named Winston, must be muzzled at all times when taken outside the home of his owner.

A breach of the order could lead to the dog being put down.

The terrifying attack happened when Winston’s owner Sally Woodcock, of Wanderdown Road in Ovingdean, took him and two other dogs for a walk in Easthill Park.

As Miss Woodcock was picking up dog mess from one of her other pets, Winston jumped over a short wall in the park into a field containing Libby, a 48-year-old donkey.

Miss Woodcock speaking in court claimed the donkey then kicked Winston which provoked him to jump up and bite the face of the donkey.

The dog maintained a grip on the donkey’s face despite the animal’s best efforts to shake it off.

Lacerations

Eventually a man who was with Miss Woodcock was able to hit the dog hard enough to free the donkey.

The donkey’s owner then had to fetch a lead from her stables because the owner didn’t seem to have one.

Libby suffered bite marks to her muzzle and chin and lacerations to her left cheek.

Miss Woodcock, 32, admitted failing to keeping her dog under control.

She said: “He’s never done anything like this before.”

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