A UNIVERSITY bursar may be scarred for life after an English bull terrier attacked him and his puppy while they were out walking.

Paul Metcalfe, 55, has warned other dog walkers to be vigilant after he had to undergo surgery following the attack. Mr Metcalfe was trying to release his miniature Jack Russell terrier, Dean, from the dog.

After sustaining injuries to the back of his neck, the one-year-old puppy needed emergency vet’s treatment, which cost £320.

Mr Metcalfe was bitten on his index, middle and fourth fingers of his left hand. He will need more surgery and may lose the top of his middle finger. He is also likely to lose sensitivity in the other injured fingers.

The incident happened at about 2pm last Monday, while Mr Metcalfe and his wife, Linda, also 55, were out walking Dean and their other miniature Jack Russell terrier puppy, seven-month-old Pearl.

The couple, who were walking by the River Skerne, in the Albert Hill area of Darlington, when they came across a man walking three English bull terriers without leads.

Mr Metcalfe, who works at Durham University, said one of the dogs, who was quite agitated, tried to attack Pearl, but he managed to pull her out of the way.

“It saw Dean and grabbed him by the neck and ran off with him. It pinned him to the ground and proceeded to gnaw at the back of his neck.

“I got to the dog and started to try to free my puppy. I managed to prise its teeth open and Dean managed to get out.

“The dog then turned on me, biting my fingers.”

Mr Metcalfe went to Darlington Memorial Hospital’s accident and emergency unit, while Dean was rushed to an emergency vet’s practice in Middlesbrough.

Mr Metcalfe said the dog’s owner had tried to control his animals, but had been unable to. “This guy is running around with three big dogs, one of them is vicious and he can’t control them,” he said.

“What if they had attacked a child?”

Mr Metcalfe said he and his wife had observed changes to the temperaments of their puppies since the incident, with both more wary about other dogs and people.

“We have been lucky. Dean only has superficial wounds, but that is through a leather collar. If it had got him by the neck, it probably would have killed him. My wife was traumatisedand so are the two dogs. We don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”

Police are looking for the owner of the English bull terrier and have asked anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has any information, to call 0345-60-60-365.