Woman 'crying her eyes out' after being attacked by dog on train to Glasgow

Georgie Oliphant, a retail assistant at a city centre shoe shop, was trying to find a seat on a busy Saturday service to Glasgow Queen Street when a Staffordshire bull terrier leapt out from underneath a table and started biting her leg.

The 21-year-old, from Shawlands, told the Glasgow Times: “At first, I thought my jacket was caught or something but then I turned around, and the dog was growling and barking at me.

“I was walking down the carriage to find a seat, and it just jumped out and started attacking me.

“It was really painful, and I started crying. No one on the train said anything like ‘are you okay?’

“The owner just said, ‘sorry pal’.

“I couldn’t walk any further at first as my leg was in pain, but then I found the nearest seat I could and put my sunglasses on so no one would see me crying.”

Once she got off the train, Georgie tried to process what had happened to her and decided to seek help. 

She said: “There’s always police around at Queen Street, especially on a busy Saturday, but I couldn’t find anyone, so I found a lady wearing a hi-vis jacket that read ‘customer service’.

“I told her that I just got attacked by a dog on the train and pointed out the owner to her. I was crying my eyes out but she just looked at me and said ‘not my problem’.”

Georgie was shocked at the alleged treatment she says she received from the staff member, especially as she was visibly shaken and in tears.

Once she arrived at work, Georgie called a pharmacy who advised that she go to hospital to receive a jag and antibiotics to treat the injury. 

She has since lodged a complaint with ScotRail after the interaction with customer services and has reported the incident to British Transport Police.

She added: “Even if she couldn’t do anything, she could have called someone who could help me.

“I’m quite shocked at how they handled it and I was left crying.”

A British Transport Police spokesperson said: “Officers received a report of a dog bite on a service to Glasgow Queen Street on June 4. A woman suffered a minor injury.

“Enquiries into the incident are ongoing.”

Phil Campbell, ScotRail head of customer operations, said: “We’ve aware of a customer’s complaint and we’re carrying out an internal investigation.”