Police have asked for anybody with information to come forward in relation to Harvey’s death

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A BELOVED apricot poodle who was well known to the people of Kentish Town has died after it was attacked by another dog in the street, its owners said this week.

Erin Cotter said her family pooch, Harvey, had been waiting with her husband while she was shopping in Sainsbury’s in Kentish Town Road when he was attacked on March 18.

Eyewitnesses believed the larger dog was an Akita breed. Police confirmed they were investigating the incident.

Ms Cotter said: “My husband jumped on the dog and was hitting it to try to get it off. By the time he got them off Harvey’s head was punctured and he had a big gash in his windpipe.

“The actual injury was far greater than we thought. I think he was just very shocked and stunned. So from the moment he was bit he was kind of not with us. He was completely out.”

Harvey, who was 16, was put to sleep at the vets because his injuries were considered too severe. The family want to scatter his ashes on Hampstead Heath.

“We’re in shock,” said Ms Cotter, who lives in Tufnell Park. “We’re in deep loss over it. He was old but he was fit and healthy. He wasn’t supposed to die.” She added: “No one is supposed to die that way.

Ms Cotter in 2011 when Harvey won a lookey-likey contest with her – at the Lady Somerset Road summer party

It’s brutal. It is just deeply sad. I feel really sorry for my daughters who are in serious grief for this.”

Harvey died on the day they were supposed to be celebrating their daughter’s 24th birthday at a party.

Natalia Wilcox, a RSPCA volunteer and Kentish Town resident, witnessed what she said was an “unprovoked” attack on the miniature poodle and that the larger dog had grabbed him in its jaws. She said the owner of the other dog walked off after the bite. They have not been identified, but police would like to speak to them about the incident as part of their inquiry.

“The dog that was attacked was just lying on the pavement,” said Ms Wilcox.

“It was horrible.” Ms Cotter and Harvey had featured in the New Journal before, as they were known for always winning the “looky-likey” competition category in the Lady Somerset Road summer street party – as she looked so much like her dog. The pet was described as a “genuine lapdog” who was “incredibly loyal” and went with the family everywhere.

Ms Cotter said: “What we miss is that he was so cuddly and soft. He was very tactile. He always wanted to be roosted into someone’s lap. “We showered him with love and he gave more back. I never had to tie him up outside the shops. He just wanted to be close and safe.

“And there wasn’t much more in life that mattered to him.”

She added said she was disappointed the owner of the other dog had not stayed at the scene.

“To me it’s really wrong because my dog was left for dead,” she said. “I would have expected that person to come back and somehow apologise and say ‘I can’t believe this has happened. Take my number’.”

Police said this week that enquiries are ongoing including gathering relevant CCTV from the scene. No arrests have been made. Officers said that anyone with information should contact the police quoting the case number: 2308732/23.

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