Caterham dog attack: Leonberger seized

The 28-year-old woman was walking the animals along Gravelly Hill on the North Downs in Surrey on January 12 when she was repeatedly bitten.

Paramedics rushed to the scene in Caterham but were unable to save the victim and she was pronounced dead by medics.

The Mirror reported that two horse riders found her as she was dying on the ground, with one saying: “That image will haunt me for a long time.”

Surrey Police confirmed the victim from London was believed to have been walking a "number of dogs" at the time of the attack at around 2.45pm.

A total of eight dogs were "detained at the scene" by officers and are still in the custody of police.

• READ MORE: Caterham Gravelly Hill fatal dog attack victim was walking dogs

The canines seized by police are reported to also include two dachshunds, a cockapoo and a collie.

The owners of these dogs have all been identified and none of the dogs were in the banned breeds list.

Occurring to the Mirror, the Leonberger previously featured on BBC2 programme 10 Puppies and Us - which told the story of young dogs with behaviour issues.

The dog’s reported owner Delia Lewis told viewers in 2017 that her pet was originally named Maple, but she decided to change it as this sounded "too sweet”, instead changing her name to Shiva after the Hindu god of destruction.

In the aftermath of the incident, Ms Lewis reportedly said on social media that Shiva was missing.

The Mirror reported that another local said: “She (the victim walking the canines) just had too many dogs. You cannot be in control with that number of dogs.

“They were in a frenzy, acting as a pack of small wolves and going for whatever was in front of them.”

A second woman was taken to hospital in a non-life-threatening condition, where she was treated for dog bites, but has now been discharged, police said.

Surrey Police said that “specialist teams” have been undertaking forensic work that has now been completed and the area is now reopened to the public.

So far no arrests have been made and detectives want to speak to anyone in the area who may have any information.

Anyone with information can call police quoting PR/45230004384 by calling 101 or through independent charity Crimestoppers.

Owners of dogs that kill someone can be jailed for up to 14 years or face an unlimited fine or both.

And even if there are no deaths, owners can still face five years prison if their animal injures another person.

Detective Inspector Josephine Horner, senior investigating officer, said: “This is a tragic incident where a young woman has sadly lost her life.

“Our thoughts remain with her family and friends and the family have asked that their privacy is respected at this difficult time.

“Specialist teams have been carrying out forensic work at the scene but this has now been completed and the area has re-opened to the public.

“I know this incident has caused real concerns locally and officers from the local neighbourhood team will be out in the area to provide reassurance for residents.

“The investigation to establish the circumstances around this incident continue and I urge anyone with information who has not yet spoken to police to contact us.”

Richard Bream, who runs the nearby Mardens Kennels, told the PA News Agency he had never heard of a dog attack in the area before.

He said: “That particular area, View Point, is an area where professional dog walkers will turn up in their van and take the dogs out and walk them.

“I’ve always felt you see some of these dog walkers have five or six, and they shouldn’t be able to do that.”

A woman walking a border collie past one of the police cordons, who asked not to be named, said she was shocked by the incident.

She said: “It’s a nice circular woodland walk and we’ve never had any issues before. It is so shocking, normal dogs surely wouldn’t do that.”

A man at an address near the scene, who asked not to be named, told the PA News Agency the beauty spot was very popular with dog walkers.

He said: “The dogs dispersed into different areas of the woods and the police helicopter was out looking for them.”

A post-mortem examination will be conducted by the Surrey coroner as part of an inquest into the death.