By Graham Huband

A WOMAN was bitten and her two young children left terrified after they were confronted by a pack of dogs whilst out walking in Dundee.

The family were out exercising their own dog on a former factory site adjacent to Dundee Ice Arena at around 3.30pm on Wednesday when the incident occurred.

The woman, who asked not to be identified, said the dogs had come from caravans owned by members of the travelling community who have set up camp in the area in recent days.

She said she had been left with a puncture wound and bruising to her calf following the dog attack. Her seven-year-old daughter and four-year-old son were extremely upset but were not hurt.

The woman said, “When I turned a corner and saw their caravans and mess lying about, I decided to keep walking but give it a wide berth.

“All of a sudden a dog came running towards us from one of the caravans barking loudly. Before we could turn and head back the way we came, we were surrounded by between eight to 12 very aggressive dogs of all shapes and sizes.

“The pack of dogs circled myself and my children and at this point some of the dogs were jumping at me and I was bitten on the leg, which pierced the skin.

“Luckily we managed to escape back to our car without further physical injury. This was a terrifying experience for both myself and my very young children.

“Police were contacted and promptly notified the dog wardens to intervene if possible,” she added.

A spokesperson for Dundee City Council—which operates the dog warden service in the city—said it had been made aware of the incident by the police.

He said, “Animal control officers received a call from Tayside Police about a biting incident. An officer was sent out to the area and saw three loose dogs at the site of the former Timex factory.

“They were traced to the travelling people’s encampment and the officer made the owners aware that a woman had been bitten and reminded them of their responsibility for keeping dogs under control.”

Anyone who witnessed Wednesday’s incident is asked to contact the police on Dundee 223200 or speak to any officer.