A mum who suffered life-changing injuries in a terrifying rottweiler attack has blasted a judge’s decision to save the dog from being put down.

Fay Hagger is still traumatised after being bitten and dragged to the floor by her neighbours’ pet, called Mikey, in Ashford.

As well as being left with horrific wounds to her arm, her elbow was also fractured - causing pain she describes as worse than childbirth.

The 60-year-old, who regularly experiences flashbacks of the ordeal, now feels let down by the justice system after the dog was allowed to return home.

A court heard that Mikey is usually calm, friendly and “loves cuddles”. However, at the time of the attack the dog had conjunctivitis and, due to the low sun, may have been spooked by Mrs Hagger’s silhouette.

But speaking after the hearing, the mum-of-two told KentOnline: “What’s to say it won’t do it again? It’s had the taste for blood.”

The brutal attack occurred on the evening of June 23 last year as Mrs Hagger was walking to her home in Bybrook Road, Kennington, after having dinner at The Harvester.

Folkestone Magistrates Court heard her neighbours - Lisa Holloway and her daughter Megan - were walking Mikey and another dog, a spaniel, towards her.

Mrs Hagger stepped into the road to give them room to pass - but at this point the Rottweiler cross-breed, described as very large and strong, started barking and becoming aggressive towards her.

Mikey then lunged across the pavement and sunk its teeth into Mrs Hagger’s arm, pulled her to the ground and held on for “a few minutes”.

Mrs Hagger said: “I remember the automatic shock when it happened.

“The next minute I could hear screaming and then I realised it was me who was screaming and I was down on the floor.

“I couldn’t comprehend what was happening. It’s one of those things you see on the news, but you don’t expect it to actually happen.”

The court heard Lisa, 50, and Megan, 21 - who had owned Mikey for about a year at the time of the attack - eventually pulled the dog off.

Megan, who had been walking the rottweiler, took him home and Lisa stayed with Mrs Hagger in Bybrook Road.

Mrs Hagger called her son, who took her to hospital.

The court heard she suffered a “nasty wound”, numerous bites and had to have butterfly stitches, while the fracture to her elbow could have been caused when she fell to the ground.

Mrs Hagger said: “When I got to the hospital I’ve never experienced pain like it. I’d rather go through childbirth again. Everyone was horrified when they saw the wounds.

“I still have four scars. The underneath of my arm is the worst and my elbow still looks quite deformed.”

She had to take antibiotics and required surgery to replace her elbow with a metal implant.

The court also heard Mrs Hagger, a team manager at a call centre, had been unable to work, dress herself or drive for a period of time after the incident.

Her arm is now constantly bent meaning she cannot put much weight on it or go to the supermarket by herself as she cannot reach the top shelves.

Police seized Mikey after the incident and the family pet was put in boarding kennels.

Lisa and Megan were both later charged over the incident. When they appeared in court in November last year, they admitted to being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing an injury.

The case was adjourned so the pair could get an expert report prepared on Mikey. They returned to Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on February 29 to be sentenced.

Dylan Bradshaw, prosecuting, said that due to the serious level of injury, the CPS was applying for a destruction order.

Maggie Biglou, defending both Lisa and Megan, said the pair had shown significant remorse and sadness.

“Mikey has been in the kennels for the past seven or eight months and had assessments and staff say he is a pleasure to care for,” she said.

“He is fine with strangers and loves cuddles and attention and there is no issue with other dogs, or even the farm’s cat.

“At the vets he had to have some surgery and he had kidney stones and the vet said he showed no aggression and no muzzle was used.”

The court also heard a dog expert with 21 years of experience had assessed the rottweiler and said it was a calm dog which did not show aggression. He suggested it may have been startled when it lunged at Mrs Hagger and that it was out of character.

He also wrote in his report that the fading light on the night in question may have caused the dog to act in the way it did as it might not have been able to see properly.

District Judge William Nelson said Mikey was not used by anyone to cause injury like some dangerous dog cases and was instead a loved family pet.

He added: “It’s clear to me, and the expert report says, that neither of you had ever experienced this dog was prone to this sort of behaviour, but he is still a wild animal at heart, so there is a risk.”

He also agreed with the dog expert that Mikey may have been startled by Mrs Hagger walking toward him and his owners because he could not see properly.

The judge deemed Mikey was not a danger to the public and spared him euthanisation. However, when out in public the dog will have to always be on a short lead of no more than 1.5 metres and wear a muzzle.

Lisa and Megan were both placed on a 12-month community order which will see them each carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and attend 10 rehabilitation sessions with probation.

“I couldn’t sleep because every time I shut my eyes, I would see the dog coming back at me again...”

Judge Nelson added: “I am not going to disqualify you from owning a dog as there is nothing to suggest you are nothing but careful dog owners.”

Judge Nelson ordered Lisa and Megan to pay £500 compensation each to Mrs Hagger because of her significant injuries.

Speaking after the hearing, Mrs Hagger says she believes Mikey should have been put to sleep.

“They said it was out of character - but it went straight for my arm,” she said.

“I just think they’ve got away so lightly, and letting them have the dog back in the same road that I live in is unfair on me. At least if they wanted to rehabilitate it it should have been away from this area.

“I just feel let down by the justice system. They’ll do their however many hours of community service and they’ll move on but I have to live with this for the rest of my life.

“For the first few nights after I found out the verdict I couldn’t sleep because every time I shut my eyes I would see the dog coming back at me again.

“I get that they had a specialist go in and check the dog but I just think it’s done it once - what’s to say it won’t do it again? It’s had the taste for blood.”

Mrs Hagger is now wary of all dogs, even her brother’s, which she has known since it was a puppy.

“Even now, eight months on, if I see people with dogs I’ll cross over the road because I just don’t know how a dog is going to react,” she said.