A GUIDE dog who was just weeks from finishing her training might never get to work for the blind after an attack in the town centre.

Grace was guiding her trainer, Philippa Davidson, through The Parade at 3.30pm on Tuesday when a Staffordshire Bull Terrier type dog bit the pup’s face and held on for about 20 seconds.

The 19-month-old guide dog, who was three weeks away from finishing a lifetime of breeding and training at a cost of £33,000, is recovering but will no longer be meeting her potential owner next week.

This incident comes after another guide dog was attacked in West Swindon earlier this month.

Philippa, who has worked for Guide Dogs for nearly 30 years, said: “There was a group of youngsters outside Greggs and I could see that they had the dog on a lead.

“I thought ‘good’ but you are always aware.

“Grace was just doing her job going around them and as she got level this dog shot out from between their legs and grabbed Grace’s face.

“Grace was screaming and trying to pull back.

“The dog just hung on and it was causing Grace more and more stress.

“I was doing what I could. I made a fist and was hitting the other dog on the head. I used my feet as well.

“You’re told never to put your fingers near their mouths.

“The young woman had it on a lead. At one point when I was using my feet she said ‘stop kicking my dog’. She wasn’t doing anything other than holding the lead.”

Philippa had let go of the harness while trying to get the dog off and after it released its grip Grace ran towards Fleming Way.

She was caught by passers-by but Philippa had left the scene to chase her and when she returned the other dog owner had gone.

The attack comes just two weeks after the Adver reported that resident Glynn Evans’ guide dog Lexie had been attacked by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier near the Link Centre.

Philipa said: “I am just training Grace but if she was my guide dog I wouldn’t be able to do anything because I wouldn’t be able to see what was going on.

“I wouldn’t have been able to go after her either.

“It must be even more of a horrendous experience.”

She took Grace, who had puncture wounds and grazes on her neck, to the vet and she is now on antibiotics and painkillers.

Philippa is hoping Grace will still have a career as a guide dog but said: “She might associate the harness with what happened on Tuesday so I just don’t know.

“Some dogs it would affect to the point where the dog couldn’t be a guide dog anymore. Other dogs it would have an effect but not to the point where there is a problem.''

Tim Stafford, mobility team manager for Guide Dogs, said: “We have got people waiting for these dogs and things like this absolutely affect us.

“As an organisation we are taking this as seriously as possible. We have seven dog attacks in the UK every single month.”

Police have spoken to witnesses and are examining CCTV footage of the scene. The other dog owner is described as female, blonde with her hair tied up and was wearing all white, her dog had a white head and a dark coloured body.

Witnesses or anyone with information should phone Wiltshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.