A bulldog on steroids “tore apart” a Dachshund puppy and left its owners with puncture wounds to their necks, face and fingers.

Christopher and Tracey Ground were walking their two small dogs near their home in Chestfield when an XL American Bulldog named Bear came charging towards them.

During a hearing at Margate Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, the couple told how they heard panicked calls from one of their neighbours and Bear’s owner, Lindz Fairbrass, telling them to pick up their dogs.

But within seconds, Bear – on steroid medication for a skin condition, which made him more aggressive – jumped up at Mrs Ground, sending her tumbling to the gravel path, and began attacking her 11-month-old sausage dog, Stanley.

“I felt a huge blow come from behind and I went to the ground,” Mrs Ground told the court.

“There was some kerfuffle on the ground and I was trying to hold on to my baby.

“Then I remember looking up and seeing my puppy being dragged – and then I was dragged up the road because I had the lead around my hand. There was nothing I could do.

“I saw him tearing my Stanley apart. I can’t get that out of my head.”

Fairbrass was charged with being in charge of a dog that was dangerously out of control and caused injury.

She told the court how the bulldog was on steroid medication that “heightened his aggression”, and that she used an electric dog collar to keep him under control.

But Bear was not wearing the device when he escaped from Fairbrass’ back yard on the evening of August 1, 2022.

The 57-year-old told magistrates she was weeding in her back garden when her hose pipe got stuck underneath the gate, preventing it from latching shut.

“Next thing I see is he’s got through the gate and jumped the wall,” said Fairbrass.

“Bear had taken and bitten the lower half of the puppy’s body, and I’ve got Bear by the collar and I’m punching him and shouting until all of a sudden he just lets go.”

Mrs Ground immediately took Stanley to the vet, but his injuries were too severe and he died.

“Bear was on a steroid for a skin condition - it heightened his aggression and made him very aggressive towards other dogs and cats,” continued Fairbrass, of The Drive, Chestfield, near Whitstable.

“Every time I took him out I had an electric collar on him, and I had ordered a special muzzle from Ukraine, but I don’t use the collar when he’s at home.”

As a result of the attack and the commotion that followed, Mrs Ground suffered scratches, bruising to her legs, knees and fingers and a puncture wound to her face.

Mr Ground was also similarly injured in the 30-second incident as he scrambled to pry open the jaws of the bulldog to release the 4kg Dachshund.

But he told the court that he did not even notice he had been injured at the time.

“My focus was to try to rescue Stanley – I was trying to pull him out of the dog’s mouth,” said Mr Ground.

“Stanley was pinned to the ground in the other dog’s mouth.

“I was trying to pull the back of the bulldog’s neck and then trying to open the bulldog’s mouth but it was fixated.

“When he finally did release him the puppy was lifeless - its eyes were open but it was barely moving.”

The day after the attack, Fairbrass sent an email to her neighbours apologising for the incident and called a vet to arrange for Bear to be put down.

But before that could happen, she says the police confiscated the animal from her home and “destroyed” it.

The Grounds have fully recovered from the cuts and scrapes they sustained and their other Dachshund, Henry, escaped unscathed – but Fairbrass and Mrs Ground were also psychologically affected by the ordeal.

The victim says she has since been receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, and is afraid to go walking in her street because she is afraid of being attacked again.

Speaking to KentOnline after the hearing, Mrs Ground said: “This has been the hardest and most distressing few months of our lives. The sudden and horrific loss of our innocent puppy Stanley has been heart-breaking for us both and we continue to suffer psychologically and physically every day.

“We used to both enjoy our relaxing daily walks with our dogs and now struggle to do this, having flashbacks of what has happened to us. This is particularly hard as the incident happened so close to home.

“We both received injuries during the attack and the scars are a daily upsetting reminder of the horrific ordeal.

“It feels as though we are living a perpetual nightmare.”

Fairbrass, who works as a prison officer, says that she felt very anxious after the incident and that it has had an effect on the relationship she has with her neighbours.

“Afterwards I was shaking and I couldn’t stop crying,” continued Ms Fairbrass.

“There’s no apology I could make that could ever take away the pain of them losing their precious dog.

"I have had nightmares of dead dogs at the end of my bed.

“I have also had hate mail from a few of the neighbours.”

“The sudden and horrific loss of our innocent puppy Stanley has been heart-breaking for us both and we continue to suffer psychologically and physically every day...”

Fairbrass pleaded guilty to the charge. Following a hearing to determine whether or not the injuries sustained by the Grounds were caused by Bear’s bites, Fairbrass was convicted of two counts of being in charge of a dog that was dangerously out of control and caused injury.

Handing down Fairbrass’ sentence, chairman of the bench Bridget Barlow said: “Bear caused injuries in the form of cuts and bruises as a result of being out of control.

“As we have heard today, neither Mr or Mrs Ground could actually recall being bitten by Bear.

“So the basis on which we will sentence you is that the injury to Tracey Ground’s face was not caused by Bear but was as a direct consequence of Bear being out of control.

“We are going to order you to complete 120 hours of unpaid work, you are also ordered to pay £400 in compensation to Mrs Ground, £300 to Mr Ground and £310 in costs.”