'It was an extremely frightening experience for me'
News Conaill Corner 13:48, 25 Mar 2025
A visually-impaired man said his guide dog now takes him in the wrong direction following an incident with a dachshund outside McDonald's.
Mark Atherton, who suffers from cone-rod dystrophy, said his two-year-old golden Labrador Reb, is 'scared' of other dogs since being "lunged" at. It means he will now often take him down the wrong route when he sees another pooch.
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Cone-rod dystrophy is a genetic condition that causes light-sensitive cells in your retina to break down. On Monday March 10, Mark was leaving McDonald's in St hHlens with Reb, when he said a dachshund started "growling aggressively" at his guide dog, the Liverpool Echo reports.
A video, taken by Mark, showed the moment the incident unfolded. The 43-year-old, who lives in the town, said: "I heard the little dog bark and it came running over. I couldn't quite see it but it came over and it was silent for a second, then suddenly it lunged at my dog.
"It tried to get behind my dog, and was barking and growling extremely aggressively. My arm was being twisted round because I still had hold of my dog's harness. I tried to get my foot in between the two dogs to stop mine from being injured."
Luckily, Reb wasn't injured during the incident, but Mark claims what happened has not been without repercussions. He continued: "Immediately after, he [Reb] was supposed to be taking me straight down the street, but he veered right very suddenly and nearly walked me into a lamp post. He's been doing that quite a bit lately, since the incident.
"He's been very distracted, he seems like he's constantly looking around all the time, looking for threats. If another dog comes anywhere near us he'll just take me in the wrong direction.
"Yesterday, he dragged me two or three metres into a field because there was another dog - it was on the lead and didn't even bark, but he was scared and he just dragged me into the field. I lost my bearings and didn't know where the path was."
Sadly, this isn't the first time that Reb, who his owner describes as "extremely timid and friendly" and "the most loving and caring dog", has been confronted by another canine. Mark said: "My guide dog was nearly killed just before I got him; he was attacked by a smaller dog, again, while wearing his working harness.
"He just stood there and took the attack because he's trained to just be focused when he's working. Luckily, they managed to save his life and resume his training, and I was lucky enough to get him."
Reflecting on what happened in St Helens, he said: "It was an extremely frightening experience for me; I couldn't see what was happening at the time and I could just feel this extremely aggressive dog having a go at mine, and I knew I could be bitten for trying to protect him.
"It's scary enough trying to get around when you can't see, and when you've got a distracted guide dog it makes things 10 times more stressful.
"Reb has changed my life since we were matched; he gives me a reason to get out and about every day and is my best friend. I'm really scared that any more incidents like this can cause me to lose him as he may have to be withdrawn if he gets too scared to work."
Mark said he feels "let down and disappointed" by the police's response, when he reported the incident. He added: "A dog doesn't have to physically injure another dog to be considered an attack.
"If I felt that I was in danger and at risk of physical harm, then that is a crime, and it's especially more severe if it's a guide dog. The police officer who investigated it watched my video, said that no one was injured and that it was the first time they'd heard about that woman and her dog, so they wouldn't be taking it any further. I'm disappointed with that."
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A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: "We can confirm a report was received on 13 March that a dog had acted aggressively in St Helens three days earlier. It was reported the dog, a small Dachshund, ran towards a service dog on Church Street, St Helens at around 1.05pm on 10 March.
"There were no reports any injuries had been sustained and no criminal offences have been identified. Both parties have been spoken to and the owner of the Dachshund was given advice on keeping her dog under control in future."
