A woman wants to warn other dog owners after her springer spaniel was left bleeding from the mouth after biting into a promotional ball left in a wood.
Christine Dickinson, 67, of Honley, told of her shock after three-year-old rescue dog Ruby clamped her jaws around the plastic case.
The plastic shattered and the jagged edges cut Ruby’s gums.
Mrs Dickinson was walking her three dogs – Ruby, springer spaniel Buddy and labrador Ellie – in Honley Old Wood on Tuesday morning when two of the dogs found what they thought was a ball.
The two spaniels played with the ball and Ruby snatched it up in her mouth causing it to smash.
“It was just dogs doing what we train them to do, picking up a ball and playing with it,” said Mrs Dickinson.
“At first glance it looked like a ball – it’s slightly bigger than a tennis ball in size – and I saw Ruby clamp her mouth across it and I heard the crunch.
“Ruby was bleeding. I checked her mouth and her gums were cut. She has been very lucky.”
Mrs Dickinson, who will make sure Ruby is checked by a vet later this week, picked up the smashed casing and found it contained a tiny teddy bear.
A card nearby confirmed it was part of a project to encourage families to get out and about in the countryside.
The Golden Bear Hunt saw 500 handmade clay bears hidden across 700 miles of footpaths across Kirklees.
Clues about the location of the bears were left on social media.
Mrs Dickinson said: “I think the project is a wonderful idea but I am worried that these balls can hurt animals, not just dogs but wildlife as well.
“We were walking off the footpaths and this ball must have been thrown from where it had been left.
“There are foxes, badgers and deers in this wood and they could bite into these things and swallow or choke on them. I want to warn other dog owners.”
Mrs Robinson said she had spoken to the company behind the project, We Do Creativity in Honley, and was told no one else had reported any problems.
No one at the company was available for comment.
