A TEENAGER nearly lost an eye after her face was mauled by a dog in a horrific attack.

Charlotte Edmondson, 17, was left bleeding in an alleyway after being attacked by a husky off Elsenham Crescent on the Craylands estate in Basildon.

The dog’s owner said she was going to get help, but never returned, leaving the teenager lying in a pool of her own blood.

Charlotte was eventually found by a couple who telephoned the emergency services.

She needed 37 stitches for her wounds.

The Upper Academies student said: “I felt the dog’s teeth clamp on to my face.

“At first I just felt this sharp pain then it went numb. I think I was in shock.

“I honestly thought it had ripped my eye out.”

Charlotte was walking down an alleyway at about 5.15pm on April 16 on the way to her friend’s house when she came across an older woman and a husky.

She said: “It was one of the most beautiful dogs I have ever seen. I asked the owner if it was safe for me to stroke it and she said, ‘yes, she’s perfectly friendly’.

“I gave it a cuddle. Maybe it didn’t like me hugging it, but it just turned and bit into my face.”

The dog released Charlotte and she stumbled backwards on to the floor.

She added: “The owner said, ‘let me go and get help’, but she left and didn’t return.

“I think I was in shock because I could not feel anything and my sight was blurry.

“Then a man wearing florescent clothing came with his girlfriend and a child. I shouted for help.

“The woman called 999 and the man put his jacket round me, called my dad and stayed until paramedics arrived.”

Charlotte’s mum, Angela Swanson, has reported the matter to the police.

Charlotte, who is studying diplomas in sports, textiles and photography, added: “I love all animals and have three cats and a dog of my own. I just don’t understand why the woman walking the dog did not come back to help me.”

Charlotte was taken to Basildon Hospital and later transferred to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford where surgeons stitched her face back together.

She added: “Luckily the dog has not damaged my eye.

“I have not been to school since the attack because I don’t want people to see my face.

“The surgeon did a really good job with my stitches and I hope I don’t have any long term scarring.”

A police spokesman said: “Officers attended the scene and spoke to the victim and a number of other people at the location. The girl had been bitten by a husky-type dog, which was on a lead, after she had picked it up.

“The dog and its owner have not been traced, but the information suggests it was not out of control, nor was it a dangerous breed, and no criminal offences have been committed.”