The seven-year-old cocker spaniel has had two operations and required 45 stitches after what has been described as “15 seconds of chaos” in the Welsh seaside town. Pepper was being walked by her 85-year-old owner when she was attacked in Pestatin.

Roger Harrison-Jones, who was walking his pet on a leash, said he had to struggle to separate the dogs on the city’s old rail line and urged other dog owners to keep them on a leash.

There is growing concern in the city over the number of off-leash dogs, some being labeled “dangerous” and “cruel”. NorthWalesLive reported that an owner has threatened to sue under the Dangerous Dogs Act if their dog is attacked again.

Mr. Harrison-Jones is well known in town, having managed Roger W Jones Builders Merchants in Rhyl for many years. With his wife Valerie, he alternates Pepper’s twice-daily walks along the old rail line, which used freight trains from Dysert Quarry until 1973. Pepper, he says, is “a wonderful dog, bright as a button.”

“It happened under my supervision,” he told NorthWalesLive. “I was happily walking my cocker spaniel when another dog owner approached me. Honestly, the dog was on a leash.

“Despite that, he jumped in and destroyed Pepper. It was chaos, a 15-second nightmare. We both tried to separate them. I was so impressed I just wanted to keep going and it wasn’t until 300m later that I noticed a large flap of skin hanging off Pepper.

“I feel guilty, he was under my supervision and I should have cast Pepper in the lead role. If he had, he could have caught up with them sooner, and Pepper could have escaped.”

The spaniel had more than 45 stitches during treatment at the vet. But additional surgery was needed to repair the stitches when some of the damaged skin died. Laser surgery is now an option, adding to vet bills already over £3,000.



After the attack, Pepper required two surgeries.

Her daughter Susan Harrison-Jones, of Gwenisgore, shared a photo of Pepper’s injuries on social media to warn others to keep their pets on a leash when approaching unfamiliar dogs. Although her parents live close to the trail and have ridden it twice a day for the past 45 years, her main concern so far has been speeding cyclists.

“People say there is an epidemic of dog attacks in the area,” said Susan. “Recently there have been reports of Ffrith Beach and Dunes and an old railway line.

“I made a post to warn hikers about the dangers of dogs you don’t know about. I don’t want anyone else to go through what my father went through. He has his hands up and is still recovering from the incident.”

Her post sparked an online debate over blame, with some people suggesting that Pepper’s abuser’s owner was to blame, despite her dog being on a leash. “Now this dog wants to do it again and must wear a muzzle on future walks,” said one woman.

Accepting the blame, Harrison-Jones sympathizes with this point of view. “The dog was under control, but because her leash was off, she was able to run two to four feet to get to Pepper,” he said. “My concern is that it could have been my leg or the baby.”

Some believe that all dogs should be under control around other dogs they don’t know. “It’s very unpleasant when your dog is very anxious and stray dogs come (to them),” said the woman Prestatyn. “The owners say it’s fine, they’re nice, but their dog is petrified. That’s why I don’t walk my dogs on the beach or on narrow paths.”



Talacre Beach, where a woman said her dogs attacked her last week

Another dog owner, who takes her two pets for a morning jog at Talacre Beach, said she had a terrifying encounter last week. Two of her dogs were on leashes when the large, off-leash dog “came at me, snarling, lunging and showing his teeth.”

She invoked section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to warn the dog’s owner of future prosecution if it happened again. He added: “You are taking away my right to walk safely in a public place and you are putting the public at risk by not keeping your dangerous dog on a leash.”

Pepper’s last vet visit was on Monday night. “He’s in pretty bad shape, but I hope he survives,” said Susan.

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