A THUG viciously attacked a Poole woman due to her links with a dog rescue charity, it has been claimed.

Animal lover Samantha Sherratt was struck on the head with a hard object as she walked her dogs near her Bearwood home.

Samantha, a ‘foster mum’ for Dorset Dog Rescue, said her attacker called her “DDR scum” before striking her and fleeing.

The charity is currently under investigation by police and trading standards officers amid allegations that it illegally smuggles dogs into the UK from Ireland.

A BBC investigation, aired last week on its Inside Out programme, alleged some of the dogs handled by the organisation come from puppy farms and have been kept in poor conditions.

Julie Liddle, owner of Dorset Dog Rescue, has denied the accusations and claims they are the result of a campaign organised by internet “trolls”.

Samantha, who lives in Bearwood in Poole, has told how she was attacked just before 1pm on Wednesday, January 14 as she walked on a bridle path near Wheelers Lane.

She told the Daily Echo: “A man came out of the bushes from nowhere, called me ‘DDR scum’ and hit me over the head.

“There has been a hate campaign and I’m really worried this is going to get out of hand and escalate into something else.

“All I do is help the dogs by being a foster mum but now I’m scared to go out of the house.

“I hope someone will come forward with some information for the police.”

The offender is described as white, in his late teens or early 20s, around 5ft 6ins tall and of medium build.

He has light-coloured eyes, a local accent and was wearing dark trousers and a grey sweatshirt with the hood up.

A spokesman for Dorset Police confirmed the incident is under investigation and urged witnesses or those with information about the attack to contact them on 101 or the free and anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.