Dog walker killed by dogs who turned on her in 'frenzy'

A dog walker was set upon and killed by the dogs she was walking in a frenzied attack at a Surrey beauty spot.

The 28-year-old London woman was with eight dogs when a number of them turned on her as she walked them near Caterham on Thursday afternoon.

As she tried to fight off the dogs, she is understood to have screamed at two horsewomen who stumbled on the scene to stay back.

One witness said: “There was no barking – just her screaming. She was being attacked, she was trying to sit up, but with the dogs around her and going for her arms she couldn't do it. It was a frenzy.

“Most of them may have been still on their leads. They were tangled round her, meaning she couldn't stand. It was impossible for them to get away, so in their frenzy they just went for what was in front of them.”

Another woman who was passing as the attack took place, on the North Downs Way at Gravelly Hill, suffered dog bites in the confusion. She was later discharged from hospital.

A police source said: “The woman who died was walking eight dogs and was attacked by one or more of them.”

Police said no illegal dog breeds were involved in the attack, and the owners of all the animals in the dead woman’s care had been traced.

The Telegraph understands that two dachshunds and a leonberger, a large breed of dog often used as guard dogs, were among the animals.

When the two horsewomen came across the attack, the dog walker is understood to have screamed: “Go back, go back."

A friend of one of the horsewomen said: “She just had too many dogs. You cannot be in control with that amount of dogs. If something happens, it’s like having seven small wolves attacking you. The dogs were in a frenzy, acting as a pack, and going for whatever was in front of them.”

The unseated rider, 60-year-old Susan Dove, said: “We could hear shouting and screaming. I thought 'oh my God, this is awful'.”

The number of injuries from dog bites has been increasing in recent years. Between 1998 and 2018, hospital admissions for dog-related injuries doubled in England, with about 8,000 people admitted each year.

It has been suggested that the “impulse buying” of dogs during the Covid pandemic may have fuelled the problem.

A study at Alder Hey hospital, in Liverpool, found that the number of children admitted for dog bite injuries grew by more than 70 per cent during the first lockdown.

Animal experts have warned that the boom of puppy buying during the pandemic has led to a generation of pets that are poorly socialised and trained and less accustomed to being around other dogs.

Dr Katie Friel-Russell, a veterinary behaviourist, told The Telegraph: “We had a huge surge in really poor breeding, so we had this mass of really poor genetic dogs, anxious parents and puppies raised in really inappropriate settings before they were rehomed.

“The dogs had a really poor start in life, and people were stuck in their homes and couldn’t seek help as classes were shut down and they weren’t socialising.”

She added that very few people would be able to manage walking four dogs at the same time safely and that the response of one dog to a horse or another animal could trigger a reaction in the rest of the group.

Officers in Surrey sealed off an extensive stretch of paths and woodland as they carried out a forensic search of the area. The seized dogs were also being examined for forensic clues to the woman’s death.

Surrey police are also understood to be trying to establish whether the woman, thought to have travelled with the dogs from Croydon, south London, was a professional dog walker.

The police source said: “We know the owners of all the dogs and are in contact with them over their animals. The two women involved in the incident did not know each other and we are trying to establish if one went to the assistance of the other and suffered her injuries as a result.”

Specialist police search teams were called in to assist forensics officers in their examination of the area, which crosses the steep banks and gullies of the North Downs and is popular with dog walkers and hikers.

The woman was attacked close to a popular beauty spot near a viewing point overlooking the Surrey countryside and down onto the M25. The location was sealed off with police tape, with at least half a dozen police vehicles parked close by on Friday.

Insp Lyndsey Whatley, the borough commander for Tandridge, said: “This is a tragic incident where a young woman has sadly lost her life, and our thoughts are with her family and friends.

“I know that yesterday’s events will be of real concern to the local community, and I would like to reassure residents that we are confident all the dogs involved are in the custody of police whilst we investigate the circumstances of what has happened.”

A post-mortem examination will be carried out to ascertain the exact cause of death. An inquest will be opened and adjourned by the Surrey coroner at a later date.

One local resident, whose home is close to the scene, said: “It’s a terrible thing to have happened, and it’s so sad for the woman and her family. This area is so lovely and it’s popular with families and dog walkers, so for something like this to happen is really shocking.”

While some local authorities require dog walkers to be registered, there is no national limit on the number of dogs that can be walked by an individual.

Professionals taking large numbers of dogs out at one time have become controversial, and some authorities have sought to limit their presence in open spaces.

Since April last year, dog walkers have been required to apply for a licence to operate on Hampstead Heath, in London, and are banned from taking more than four at a time.