A Faversham grandmother had to endure hours of surgery after a ferocious dog attack just seconds from her home.

Karen Tabor, 54, is now too terrified to take her two-year-old grandson out of the house - living in fear the out-of-control dog might strike again.

Faced with yet more surgery after her thumb was ripped apart and her elbow and back badly bruised, she is determined to raise awareness so others do not have to suffer.

Mrs Tabor, of Stonebridge Way, was walking her dog Hamish - something she has done daily since she bought the West Highland terrier four years ago.

As she approached Granville Close with Hamish on a lead, she spotted a golden labrador in the distance.

Mrs Tabor said: "Those dogs have always seemed so docile and lovely, so I didn't feel too worried, but Hamish was attacked by another dog a month ago so I am always a bit wary.

"But this was different. Suddenly the dog started running towards us and it all just happened so quickly."

Within seconds, the labrador had Hamish in his jaws, but quickly turned on Mrs Tabor, pushing her to the ground and biting through her thumb.

Described her ordeal, she said: "All of a sudden, this dog was just throwing Hamish around. He's so small, this dog could have killed him.

"I was terrified. Hamish was terrified and ran off. Then the labrador ran off and I was screaming for help.

"I couldn't even work out if the blood around us was mine or Hamish's."

"It seems ludicrous that these people are allowed to let their dogs behave in this way. I want something to be done because I don't want anybody else to be attacked..." - Karen Tabor

Luckily, a neighbour came to the rescue and took Mrs Tabor to hospital to get her wounds cleaned up.

But she had to visit a hospital in Essex the following day to have surgery on her puncture wound and treatment for nerve damage.

She travelled to a specialist hospital in East Grinstead this week to have reconstructive surgery on her thumb.

She said: "I want to be able to take my grandson out for walks with Hamish and my family, but there is too much risk now.

"I am now so nervous about taking Hamish out because you never know what might happen and these dogs can be so unpredictable.

"It seems ludicrous that these people are allowed to let their dogs behave in this way. I want something to be done because I don't want anybody else to be attacked."

Police spokesman Alice Hemmings said: "We are looking into an incident in which a woman was reportedly attacked by another dog while walking her own dog near Granville Close, Faversham, at around 6.30pm on June 14.

"Both the victim and the owner of the dog have been spoken to by police and the matter is ongoing.

"It is understood that the dog in question has been rehomed."