FOLLOWING our report of distraught dog owner Laura Farion's bid to trace the owner of a another pet when her chihuahua Molly died after being attacked, the other owner involved has contacted the Wiltshire Times.

Laura Farion, who owns Little Paws Pet Services in Trowbridge, was heartbroken when Molly was injured after she escaped from her car as Mrs Farion was taking dogs home following a walk.

She said: “I am so upset that this has happened to one of my dogs. I know this is a usual place to walk dogs so I just don’t want this to happen to anyone else.

“It was such a tragic accident.”

Now the owner of the other dog, who has chosen to remain anonymous, has come forward to say she understands Molly had been running loose for up to an hour before the incident, and that she did not see the two dogs fighting.

The woman, who lives locally, was badly bitten when she first tried to approach Molly, who was showing no obvious signs of injury. She said: "I didn't see a fight between them. The other dog ran towards mine, and they both ran off, playing, out of my sight. I caught up with them, put my dog on its lead and went to stroke the other dog and it bit me.

"I felt I could not leave it there, so I put my hoodie over it to pick it up and carried it home. I could see blood but thought that was from my hand, it wasn't until I got home I realised it was from the dog as well.

" I rang my vet and arranged to take it in as an emergency. I did think my dog might have bitten it, but I did not see anything and he's never been an aggressive dog.

"I was very traumatised and upset. The vets traced the other dog's owner though its microchip."

As we reported, Mrs Farion was called to the vet's surgery to discover Molly had died, and then followed the other woman to the hospital to talk to her. She earlier told the Times: “I wanted to speak to the owner so I went to the hospital and sat next to her in the waiting room, where we spoke and I told her I wasn’t angry as it wasn’t her fault."

In pain and feeling even more upset after she learned of Molly's death when she was in the hospital waiting room, the other dog owner said she was advised by hospital staff to leave the building discreetly as she was becoming more distressed by Mrs Farion's presence and remarks.

"The hospital staff felt I was being harassed and saw me out another way," she said. "I have reported what happened to the police, and had a long chat with the dog warden about it, in case it was my dog. I didn't see him bite the other dog, he had no blood or marks on him and he's never been aggressive to other dogs."

A police spokesman said: “It is not currently a criminal offence for a dog to attack another dog, unless that dog is a registered assistance dog.

“If your dog is injured by attack from another dog, once it is safe to do so you should exchange details with the owner of the other dog, make a note of its name, description and if possible obtain witness details.

“Obtain veterinary advice early on and seek repayment from the other party.”