Woman's arm and legs 'chewed' by Staffy as she was attacked by the dog's owner

Wales Online

01-05-2025

Woman's arm and legs 'chewed' by Staffy as she was attacked by the dog's owner
Tracie Harrison, 47, was in charge of her dog named Fade when she and another woman attacked Michelle Pring in Cardiff
Tracie Harrison, 47, was in charge of a Staffordshire Bull Terrier which bit the arm and legs of Michelle Pring
(Image: South Wales Police )
A woman suffered significant injuries and permanent scarring after her arm and legs were "chewed" by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier owned by a woman who attacked her. The victim described how she is now "petrified" of dogs and her scars remind her of the trauma she suffered.
Tracie Harrison, 47, was in charge of her dog named Fade when she and another woman attacked Michelle Pring in Cardiff on May 3, 2023. It was during this attack that Fade began attacking the victim, and locked its jaws on her arms and legs, leaving her with multiple puncture wounds.
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A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Thursday heard Ms Pring was walking along Heol Trelai, in Caerau, with a man when she came across the defendant and another woman. Harrison was in possession of Fade who was on a lead. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter.
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A verbal altercation began between the two women and the defendant attacked Ms Pring by pulling her hair.
The victim tried to escape into a nearby garden but she was followed by Harrison and the other woman, who continued to hit and kick her.
Footage of the attack, filmed on a mobile phone by a neighbour, was played to the court.
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As the attack progressed, the dog bit Ms Pring's legs. She described the pain and said it felt like the dog was "eating her".
She screamed at the defendant "Please Trace, he's chewing my legs, get him off me, somebody please help me."
The defendant and the woman continued to attack Ms Pring and did not assist her as the dog continued to bite her.
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As the victim attempted to protect herself, the dog bit her left arm and began mauling her.
Ms Pring said she believes she passed out and cannot remember when the dog stopped or where it went.
The dog was later seized by the police and has since been housed in police kennels.
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The defendant was said to have made "minimal efforts" to stop Fade from attacking Ms Pring and was bitten on the arm herself.
The victim was taken to hospital to receive treatment for a laceration to her forehead and right eye, wounds and puncture marks to her left arm and legs, and a deep wound to the inside and outside of her right muscle, extending into the muscle.
Ms Pring received primary care, including a skin graft, but she later discharged herself from hospital and developed sepsis from an infection to her wounds.
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As a result of her injuries, she suffered permanent scars to her left arm and legs.
Harrison, of Heol Trelai, later pleaded guilty to being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control and causing injury.
The court heard she has 13 previous convictions, including for an offence of being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control and causing injury in 2015.
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In a victim personal statement read to the court by Alex Orndal, Ms Pring said: "This attack has totally turned my life upside down, it's been more than a year since the attack but I still feel its impact every day... I still have scars and every day I see them it reminds me of the sheer pain and agony I was in. It brings back the trauma of that night.
"I have been unable to wear a skirt or go swimming. Comments and questions are a painful reminder of what happened and I think of that night all the time. I don't want to go out in the dark, especially on my own and I have to have someone with me. If someone runs up behind me I am so scared and anxious and looking over my shoulder to see if anybody is behind me.
"Every time I see a dog I am petrified and worry they will savage me again. If I had to go through something like this again, it would be game over and I will die. I think that every time I see a dog.
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"This has impacted me in a large way. What right did those people have to attack me and that dog to savage me. I will live with the physical scars for the rest of my life. I want the people responsible to know how much they have impacted my life."
In mitigation, Kirsten Murphy said her client was "remorseful" for inability to control the dog, and added: "She is shocked the dog she loved so much became aggressive and behaved in the way she did."
Judge Carl Harrison said an explanation could be given by the defendant's own behaviour.
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Ms Murphy said the defendant had owned Fade for nine years and had previously had no cause for concern. The barrister said Harrison had raised her children as a single parent and suffered domestic abuse at the hands of her partner. She has mental health difficulties following the death of her sister and has anxiety and depression.
The court heard Harrison is due to become a grandmother for the first time and is "terrified" of being sent to prison which result in her missing the birth and being unable to support her 23-year-old daughter
Ms Murphy added: "She is heartbroken over the destruction of the dog, one she loved for many years, but the destruction order is not opposed as she doesn't want to put any members of the public at risk."
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Judge Carl Harrison sentenced Harrison to two years imprisonment. He also disqualified the defendant from having custody of a dog for 15 years and approved a destruction order in respect of Fade.