Dog owner who lost arm after American Bulldog mauled her is suing RSPCA for £200,000
A dog owner who tragically lost her arm after an American Bulldog mauled her is now suing the RSPCA for £200,000.
The woman had to have her entire left arm amputated following the attack and has since taken legal action against the animal charity.
Joanna Harris is claiming that the organisation were aware that the dog she fostered was aggressive and had failed to adequately warn her of its behaviour.
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Joanna had adopted the 15-month-old Bulldog, Kiwi, from an RSPCA rescue centre.
The 49-year-old was at home when all of a sudden, she had to prize Kiwi's jaws off her other dog, Bo, only for the bulldog to then turn and maul her arm instead.
Totally unable to free herself from the dog's locked jaws, Joanna shouted out for a neighbour to call the police and an ambulance.
Emergency services arrived at the scene a whole 20 minutes later, and found that Kiwi had caused some major injuries to Joanna's arm and even managed to sink its teeth into her neck.
Despite their efforts, officers were unable to drag the dog off Joanna and were forced to taser him three times to subdue the dog.
The dog mum-of-two was subsequently rushed to hospital with her whole left bicep exposed leaving her with no blood supply or mobility in her arm alongside further injuries on her right arm, hand and leg.
Unfortunately, Joanna’s arm could not be saved and surgeons were forced to amputate it while Kiwi was put down by vets.
She is now seeking damages of more than £200,000 through the High Court as, before she took him in, the dog had allegedly been aggressive to staff and inflicted minor injuries.
Her lawyers insist that the RSPCA breached the Animal Act because it should have known the dog was aggressive by its previous behaviour, and by allowing Kiwi to be fostered when it was unsafe.
The RSPCA has denied liability for the injuries.
Joanna said: "It’s almost difficult to put into words what happened to me and the impact it’s had. I’ve always loved and grown up around dogs and really wanted to give a dog a home and a new life."
She went on to admit that being attacked in her 'own home' is 'something that will stay with [her] forever'.
"It was absolutely terrifying," she added, "even when the police arrived Kiwi didn’t want to let go. The pain I was in was excruciating and I knew I was in a bad way."
Joanna continued: "Nothing prepared me for the news that I had to have my arm amputated. At that moment my life changed.
"I lost a lot of confidence and independence. I became a lot more reliant on friends and family, even for things such as getting dressed and food shopping, things many people take for granted."
While she is now trying to 'remain as positive as [she] can', Joanna has stated she deserves 'answers to the questions [she] has'.
Joanna, who works in the financial industry, had to take substantial time off work due to her injuries.
Chani Dhaliwal, the expert serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, explained: "Joanna has faced an incredibly difficult time coming to terms with the physical and psychological impact of the incident which has changed her life forever.
"Her case vividly highlights the devastating effect such incidents can have on people."
Dhaliwal added: "Understandably she has a number of concerns about what happened and whether more could have been done to prevent her horrific injuries.
"While nothing can make up for what she’s been through we're determined to support Joanna to provide her with not only the answers she deserves but also the specialist support and therapies she requires to regain more of her independence."
A spokesperson for RSPCA told LADbible: “This was a distressing incident and our thoughts go out to Ms Harris.
"We assess the health and behavioural needs of animals before rehoming and where necessary, we provide a full behavioural plan.
"Our branches and centres are available to support them or take an animal back into our care if the new owner does not feel happy or safe. We cannot say any more at this time because of ongoing legal proceedings, which the RSPCA is defending.”
Rhiannon Ingle