EXCLUSIVE Our family pet was savaged and killed by a hound being walked off the lead by a dog trainer
A father whose dog was savagely attacked by a Belgian Shepherd three times its size is facing a £12,000 vet bill after his pet had to have multiple surgeries - then tragically be put down.
A father whose dog was savagely attacked by a Belgian Shepherd three times its size is facing a £12,000 vet bill after his pet had to have multiple surgeries - then tragically be put down.
Joshua Sonuga, 33, was out last Thursday with his four-year-old dog Bobby, a Poodle and Bichon Frise cross, when he spotted a man in a balaclava walking a large dog off the lead.
The Roe Green Loopline route, near Salford, was mostly empty at 3.05pm, with Mr Sonuga aiming to miss the school run 10 minutes later.
Putting Bobby on the lead before he could run up to the dog, Mr Sonuga hung back a few minutes to give the walker time to move forward.
As soon as he and Bobby became visible round a bend, the Belgian Shepherd, Bruno, ran up to them from 100 yards away and sunk its teeth into Bobbys back.
Mr Sonuga later discovered that the man, claiming to be a dog trainer, had picked up the Shepherd from its owners less than an hour earlier and had ignored instructions to keep him on the lead.
Just six days later Bobby, unable to survive his injuries, had to be put to sleep at the vet surgery.
Mr Sonuga told MailOnline: I cant believe it. I didnt react quickly enough. I cant stop crying.
Bobby, a four-year-old Poodle and Bichon Frise cross, pictured in a blue bow tie
Bobby, Joshua Sonuga and his two-year-old son cuddling in bed
Bobby at the vet after the attack, which resulted in two surgeries and a lung infection
I dont discriminate against big dogs. Some have run up to Bobby at full pace then stopped to sniff him. This one didnt do that.
Because Bobby loved to run up to dogs, I put him on the lead as soon as I saw the man. I had a funny feeling - the guy was wearing a balaclava.
The dog jumped up, grabbed Bobby, bit him on his back and shook him hard like how dogs do with a teddy.
With Mr Sonuga screaming at the man to intervene, he responded by saying it wasnt his dog.
I said "do you think I care if its not your dog? Grab him!"
So he did grab him then, but nothing me or him did stopped the dog from savaging Bobby, I think it just got bored.
Mr Sonuga described how when the Shepherd eventually let go of Bobby and was put back on the lead, it looked remorseful.
It sounds crazy but the dog looked devastated at what it had done. It should have been kept on the lead, it was fine when it was restrained.
Vets suggested that Bobby, pictured at the vet after the attack, would not survive from his injuries
Bobby and Mr Sonugas son shared a close bond (Pictured here on the stairs in Joshuas home)
Bobby at the vet following surgery after his severe injuries from the dog attack which eventually led to him being put down
Mr Sonuga admitted he became irate, shouting youve just killed my dog as the man apologised.
At this point people were stopping to see what had happened and an onlooker asked if anyone needed help.
Mr Sonuga, in shock, was unable to formulate a reply, but eventually a stranger drove him to a nearby vet where he was transferred to another medic due to the seriousness of Bobbys injuries.
They told me it was going to cost between four and six grand, Mr Sonuga said.
I knew I had insurance so I thought it was okay.
Bobby went into surgery and, after three different vets suggested to Mr Sonuga that he might not survive his injuries, they broke the news that his medical bill was at £8,000.
Mr Sonuga has since set up a GoFundMe page in the hopes of raising the necessary money to cover the bill.
Bobby had another operation and sustained a chest infection from the bite.
Mr Sonugas son pictured with Bobby at the vet after the brutal attack
Mr Sonuga and Bobby pictured outside in the sun
Mr Sonuga described Bobby as his sons best mate who slept by his cot each night
Each day he remained in care cost Mr Sonuga £800 more, he said.
It just kept going up. I was told it was going to cost £14,000 to save his life.
I love him more than anything, hes my little lads best mate, he even slept by his cot.
But if I had been told at the beginning it was going to cost ten grand more than my insurance covers, I would have had to put him to sleep before.
It wouldnt have been a moral decision on my part - I physically dont have the money.
My mothers a childminder and my fathers medically retired, we dont have that money in the family.
Immediately after the attack, the masked man put all the blame on the owner, Mr Sonuga said.
But he was just lying. He said hed only had the dog yesterday, so I asked him why he was walking it off the lead after one day.
Mr Sonuga and Bobby taking a selfie in bed
Since the attack, the social media account linked to the trainer, K9 Kartel, has been deleted
Mr Sonuga had Bobby since he was a puppy
Then he said hed only just got the dog that day and that the dog had bitten through the lead, which it hadnt. It was back on the lead as we were talking.
Having taken the dog walkers number, Mr Sonuga asked for the owners name to give to his insurance company.
And when he made contact with the owners themselves, Mr Sonuga discovered that they had advertised the Belgian Shepherd online for rehoming.
The dog walker, claiming to be a trainer of family protection dogs, had responded to the advert.
When the family asked about his social media, he responded by saying that both his social media accounts and his dog training website were closed for maintenance, as seen in texts shared with MailOnline.
Since the attack, the social media account linked to the trainer, K9 Kartel, has been deleted.
When picking Bruno up from his home, the dog trainer ignored advice to come in a car or a van to avoid the reactive dog responding badly to a train.
Mr Sonuga said of the owners: They have been so apologetic, they were very upset, but sorry isnt good enough. Its not going to cover the vet bill and my dog will never come home.
Mr Sonugas son and Bobby pictured together in the back seat of the car
Bobby pictured in his bandages following the attack
Bobby pictured on the day of the attack when walking on the Loopline route
According to Mr Sonuga, the owners contacted him the evening of the attack to inform him that Bruno, the Belgian Shepherd, had been put down.
They even gave details of a £600 bill associated with putting him to sleep and collecting his ashes.
At first I thought it wasnt the owners fault but now I think they share a lot of the blame, Mr Sonuga said.
They should have insured the dog if they knew it was capable of that.
If Bobby had been off the lead and run over to the dog and been savaged, that would have been my fault, but that didnt happen. He didnt stand a chance.
Mr Sonuga expressed concern about what might have happened if the dog had been on the path at the busy school run just minutes after the attack took place.
I say this as a dad, this happened at five past three, and Ive been doing that route with Bobby for years - those lines are rammed with school kids ten minutes later.
It could have been really bad. If it wasnt for Bobby getting it at five past, I dread what would have happened at quarter past, especially with young kids who arent aware of danger.
Mr Sonuga did not have high hopes for Bobbys future, and feared the vets were stringing him along.
I visited him, I was there, I saw the attack and the size of the wound, I couldnt see how he was going to survive that.
And he urged dog owners with reactive or sensitive dogs to get their dogs insured, to save others in a similar position from the staggering vet bills he faces.