AN injured woman has appealed for a kind-hearted man to come forward after he came to her rescue when she was attacked by a dog.

Sandra Gonta, of Birkfield Drive, Ipswich, suffered puncture wounds to her arm after a German Shepherd jumped up and bit her.

Shaken and in severe pain, the 53-year-old was helped by a man who took her into a nearby shop after the incident and called for the help of paramedics.

Today, Ms Gonta and her daughter Melissa thanked the caring stranger who took the time to offer a helping hand.

Police and paramedics were alerted to the drama which took place at 12.30pm on Tuesday, while Ms Gonta walked to the shops in Cambridge Drive.

She told The Star that as she attempted to cross the road with her shopping trolley in tow a black German Shepherd suddenly bit her arm.

She said: “There were two girls walking with the dog which was on a lead. But the dog bit me as I started to cross the road.

“They tried to pull the dog off me but it seemed to take a long time. She was really trying to get it off me. There was a lot of blood and it was very painful.

“A man who had seen the whole thing came up to help me when the two girls walked off with the dog. I just want to thank him for what he did because he called the ambulance.”

Ms Gonta was taken to Ipswich Hospital where her wounds were treated. She also had a tetanus jab.

Her daughter Melissa said: “It sounded awful, the more the girls tried to pull the dog off the more it dug its teeth in.

“The wound was still bleeding the next day. I just think it would be nice to thank the man who helped her when she was all on her own.”

A police spokeswoman encouraged anyone who witnessed the incident to contact officers at Ipswich police station on 101.