Woman's legal fight after losing arm in dog attack

Joanna Harris, seen here with Kiwi, said she had wanted to give a dog a new home and a new life

A woman whose arm had to be amputated after she was attacked by a dog she fostered from the RSPCA is taking High Court legal action against the charity.

The American bulldog had to be Tasered by police three times to free Joanna Harris's arm from its jaw in September 2021, her lawyers have said.

They argue the RSPCA knew the dog, called Kiwi, was aggressive - but the animal rescue charity denies liability.

Ms Harris, from Crowborough, East Sussex, said she knew she was in a bad way during the attack but nothing prepared her for the news she would lose her arm.

She said: "At that moment, my life changed."

Ms Harris, 49, became reliant on friends and family for actions such as getting dressed and food shopping.

"Things many people take for granted," Ms Harris said.

She said she was trying to remain positive and focus on recovery, but added: "I feel I deserve answers."

Ms Harris said she had always loved and grown up around dogs and had wanted to give a dog a home and a new life.

She said: "What happened that day and how I was attacked in my own home is something that will stay with me forever. It was absolutely terrifying."

Ms Harris said what happened that day would stay with her forever

Her lawyers, Irwin Mitchell, said the 15-month-old dog had previously shown physical aggression towards RSPCA staff resulting in minor injuries, and Kiwi had already tried to bite Ms Harris days earlier.

On the day of her injury, Kiwi latched on to her arm moments after she released its jaw from another pet dog, Bo, they said.

Unable to free herself, Ms Harris went in the garden to ask a neighbour to call police and an ambulance, but Kiwi started to pull and shake her arm and tried to bite her neck, lawyers said.

They said police Tasered Kiwi after they were unable to release her.

Ms Harris was taken to hospital with an exposed bicep and loss of blood supply to her left arm. Her right arm, hand and leg were also injured.

Kiwi was later put down.

Irwin Mitchell argue the RSPCA should have known the aggressive nature of the dog given the behaviour it previously showed.

They argue the charity allowed Kiwi to be fostered when it was unsafe.

They also claim the RSPCA failed to remove Kiwi from the house after it tried to bite Ms Harris on 26 August, a week before the attack on 3 September.

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said: "This was a distressing incident and our thoughts go out to Ms Harris.

"We assess the health and behavioural needs of animals before rehoming and where necessary, we provide a full behavioural plan.

"Our branches and centres are available to support them or take an animal back into our care if the new owner does not feel happy or safe.

"We cannot say any more at this time because of ongoing legal proceedings, which the RSPCA is defending.”

'Extremely aggressive' dog

Sussex Police said officers were sent to the scene amid concerns for Ms Harris's safety that evening.

A spokesman said officers "quickly established that the dog was large and extremely aggressive, and immediate action was needed to preserve the woman's life".

After Ms Harris was safely out of the garden, police retreated and the dog was secured by the firearms and dog unit officers using specialist equipment, before it was later euthanised.

The spokesman said the RSPCA was made aware of the incident and there was no criminal investigation.