A WOMAN claims she was attacked by her neighbour's dogs in her own garden.
Maisie Barratt called police on July 20 to report being savaged by two Staffordshire terriers who had made their way through her fence from a garden backing onto her own in Coverack Close, Shirley.
Her neighbour, Shandy Mehmet, 46, was arrested and bailed to return to Croydon Police Station on August 30, pending further investigations.
Ms Barratt said: "I noticed the noses of the two dogs poking through a hole in the fence."
She claimed the dogs got through the fence and attacked her, biting her arms.
She said: "I ran to the front of my house but I was trapped. One of the dogs had my arm in its mouth and was shaking it up and down.
"I was in shock, my heart was pounding and I was getting weak. It was a shocking experience."
Ms Barratt said her cries for help were eventually answered by neighbours and the dogs ran off when they arrived.
She was treated by paramedics at the scene and taken to Croydon University Hospital.
Ms Barratt said she had been particularly upset by remarks made by the police who interviewed her.
She added: "I wanted the dogs removed but was told several times that nothing could be done until it happens again.
"I was really annoyed because it could have been much worse. The dogs could have grabbed my throat or it could have been a child involved."
She said since the incident, her neighbours had been round to apologise.
Ms Barratt added: "I adore animals but if you have them you must be responsible for them.
"If they are not cared for they should be taken away."
A Croydon Police spokesman said members of its dog control team had visited the Mehmet's house and confirmed the dogs were not on the banned list.
No action, he said, could be taken against the dogs while investigations continued.
Mrs Mehmet told the Advertiser said: "I was shocked when I heard what had happened.
"They are family dogs, not dogs that go out and bite people. I think they must have been provoked."
She added: "My five-year-old niece plays with them all the time and never has any trouble.
"The dog section people have also been round and said the dogs are not aggressive."
