A DOG saved its owner from an attack in York.

The woman, aged in her twenties, was attacked by a man in Strensall Common between 2.30pm and 3.15pm on Sunday, February 26, as she walked her dog close to the golf course.

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police said a man called out to the woman, who became concerned and turned to walk back the way she had come. The man then jumped out in front of her and grabbed the skin on her neck, painfully twisting it.

In response to this, the woman’s dog bit the man on his leg, he then kicked the dog in her chest, leaving a dirty boot mark and winding her. The man shouted at the woman and the dog bit him on his leg again. This caused the man to let go of the woman’s skin and tend to his leg, allowing the woman and her dog to escape and get back to her car.

The attacker was white, fat, with a chubby face, dark, greying facial hair, aged in his fifties and smelt of urine. He was wearing a dirty, orange, zip-up raincoat with a logo on it and dirty, dark green water-proof trousers with zips at the knees so they could be worn as shorts. He was wearing dark coloured boots and had a Yorkshire accent.

The spokeswoman said there were a number of other people in the area at the time, and officers have appealed to them to contact police, even if they did not see the incident itself, as they could still have important information.

Anyone who was on Strensall Common between 2pm and 3.30pm on Sunday is urged to contact police on 101, select option 2 and ask for PC Elle Smith, collar number 1852, or email elle.smith1852@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. Please quote reference 12170033337