A WOMAN is recovering in hospital after being seriously injured when she was knocked over by a dog last week.

Catherine Richards, 69, from Edinburgh Road in Tranent, was walking her two dogs – a bearded collie and an old English sheepdog – near the first paddock at Musselburgh Racecourse with her friend Brian Falkner last Tuesday morning.

Her friend Elizabeth Robertson, 73, from Miners Terrace in Wallyford, said: “She was out walking her dogs at 10.15am last Tuesday morning and catching up with her friend Brian.

“A professional dog walker passed them but she had far too many dogs with her.

“One of the dogs, a big black Labrador, broke away from the group with its lead trailing and lunged at her – it didn’t bite her and wasn’t aggressive but it knocked her over.”

Catherine is now in hospital after the incident left her with a broken left shoulder and shattered right knee.

She had an operation last Thursday in which six pins were put into her knee to remould it.

Elizabeth said: “She was in extreme pain.

“The dog walker didn’t come over to see what happened, how badly Catherine was hurt and if she could help.

“Brian was so busy caring for her he didn’t see where they went and if the dog ran on. He’s not even sure if she saw the clash.”

Elizabeth put an appeal on Facebook to see if she could trace the dog walker but it has so far proved unsuccessful.

She added: “If it was a child they could have been killed. It’s really, really dangerous.

“I have since been back to the same place at the same time but not seen the dog walker again.”

The walk has seriously affected Catherine, who lives alone and is now “completely immobile”, as she can’t use crutches due to her broken shoulder.

Elizabeth said: “Catherine is having to rely on family and friends to look after her dogs which she hates.

“To make matters worse, the old one [dog] suffers from cancer and needs constant medication.

“This has all seriously affected Catherine’s wellbeing. She is going to have to spend many weeks in hospital and then rehab.”

Elizabeth praised Catherine’s two dogs, who, despite being off the lead, stayed calm and did not react in an aggressive way.

Police confirmed the incident had been reported to them.