A TEN-YEAR-OLD dog was was "scalped" in an horrific attack in York.

Frances Burbidge was walking her whippet/Jack Russell cross Lily on land near Joseph Rowntree School last Sunday when she passed a man standing with a black Labrador.

She said: "He didn't say a word and the dog came forward to me and I was stroking it, telling him what a nice dog it was. My dog had been lagging behind and came trotting round the corner.

"He didn't do anything, and it just lunged at her. It picked her up by the neck and was shaking her. She let out an almighty yelp and it let her go. He didn't say a word, didn't look shocked or upset. I even apologised to him for stopping and stroking his dog. He didn't give me any warning about his dog being aggressive or even say sorry."

Vets found a hole "about the size of a 50p piece" next to Lily's ear, and said the skin had been pulled away from the muscle around her ear under the fur, causing blood to pool in the void.

She said: "The vet described it as being scalped, where the muscle was removed from the ear".

After almost £500 of treatment, she was fitted with a drain for the excess blood, and while she has since had this removed, her behaviour has changed.

Frances said: "She seems to be back to her normal self. It's set her off barking at other dogs now though, and I'm worried it's made her on edge.

"What's annoyed me is that everyone I've spoken to knows him. They've all said his dog has attacked before and it's been muzzled in the past."

Frances reported the attack to the police, who were unable to take the complaint further as no human was injured, and to City of York Council.

Paul Morrison, neighbourhood safety manager at the council, said: "We are aware of this attack and investigating the case further."