Dogs Trust worker bitten by American bulldog sues for £200k

Telegraph

30-06-2025

A Dogs Trust manager who was attacked by an American bulldog at work is suing the charity for more than £200,000.
Karla Haines, 34, was working at the rehoming centre in Harefield, west London, when a 'fierce and mischievous' bulldog cross named Jester sank its teeth into her arm.
She suffered multiple lacerations and puncture wounds, leaving permanent scarring and causing psychological injuries with 'PTSD-like symptoms', her lawyers say.
Ms Haines is now suing the Dogs Trust, where she was assistant operations manager, for more than £200,000 in compensation, blaming it for not properly controlling the dog.
Through its insurers, the Trust, which is the UK's biggest canine welfare charity, has admitted breach of duty, but is set to fight the amount in compensation she should get.
According to documents filed at the High Court, the incident involved an attack by an American bulldog cross that was being kept at the Trust's centre at Highway Farm House, in Harefield, Uxbridge.
The centre is set in 16 acres of farmland and looks after around 150 dogs in facilities that include underfloor heating, glass-fronted kennels, exercise paddocks, a puppy suite and a sensory garden.
In court documents, her lawyers claim: 'On 3 July 2021, the claimant was in the rehoming concrete compound, having been brought in to help with the dog that was misbehaving.
'The claimant asked for the dog to be put on a lead, but the dog grabbed onto the claimant's arm and bit her.
'The dog is and was of a fierce and mischievous disposition and/or was likely, unless restrained, to bite anyone on the defendant's premises or to cause severe injury when defending what it regarded as its own territory, which characteristics were, or ought to have been known at all times to the defendant.'
Ms Haines, who has a degree in animal behaviour and welfare, claims to have been left suffering with 'hypersensitivity of the cubital tunnel of her right arm' after the attack.
Her lawyers allege that her employers failed 'adequately or at all to retain the dog in a place of safety' and should have restrained Jester by leashing to a fixed point.
Although its insurers have admitted breach of duty without admitting any specific fault, the Trust insists Ms Haines was on Jester's 'safe list' - meaning she was one of the few people who could safely handle him.
'It is averred that Jester had been placed on a lead... prior to the claimant entering the compound,' the charity's solicitor, Chrissie Paphitis, said in its defence to the action.
'It is admitted that Jester nevertheless grabbed onto the claimant's arm and bit her. The injuries as pleaded and detailed in the numerous reports...are noted but not admitted, for want of knowledge.
'No admissions are made in respect of causation, and the claimant is put to strict proof in relation to any and all allegations of loss and damage.'
The claim was initially pleaded on the documents as being worth no more than £60,000.
However, at a brief pre-trial hearing earlier this month, lawyers for Ms Haines told High Court judge Master Richard Armstrong she is now seeking compensation of 'over £200,000'.
A trial to determine the extent of Ms Haines' damages will take place at a later date, unless the parties settle the matter out of court.