Kirsty was reduced to tears when she learnt her dog, Jack, had been kicked in the stomach outside her Collingham home

A vicious attack on a dog left its owner in tears for two days.

Kirsty Chick, who has Asperger’s syndrome, said she was reduced to tears when she learnt her dog, Jack, had been kicked in the stomach outside her Collingham home.

Her support worker, Marie Astley, said the incident came out of the blue.

She said: “Kirsty has support at night and I got there about 20 past nine, and as I opened the gate, Jack shot out, and there was a gentleman walking his dog who saw it.

“The two dogs started barking at each other and the gentleman shouted ‘you need to keep your dog under control’ and then flew his leg back and, like you would kick a football, kicked Jack under his belly and he went flying.

“I didn’t want to tell Kirsty because I knew it would upset her. But if Jack was injured, no matter how much it would upset her, it was something I had to say.

“I could have understood what he was saying, but all Jack was doing was barking at another dog.

“He wasn’t going for it and he isn’t a nasty dog.”

Kirsty, who has raised £600 for Fitzroy, a charity that supports people with learning difficulties in the community, by walking one mile a day for 100 days, said: “I was very upset.

“I got really angry at first and started shouting.

“I cried non-stop for two days. I couldn’t control myself.”

She said Jack, a rescue pup from Collingham’s Halfway Home Dog Rescue, was a huge part of her life, and she wanted to make people aware of the dangers of the man.

The incident is being investigated by the police.