A mum of two was recovering in hospital last night after being savaged by a police dog outside her home.
Now Rukhsana Ansari, 34, plans to sue West Midlands Police after being attacked by the German Shepherd, which was on a lead.
The housewife suffered head and leg injuries after the dog bit her, then dragged her along the pavement before being restrained by its police handler.
Neighbours called for an ambulance to take Mrs Ansari to Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham.
The mum had been standing by her front door in George Arthur Road, Alum Rock, watching fire-fighters tackling a nearby blaze on Thursday night.
Police were also in attendance.
Mrs Ansari, speaking from her hospital bed, said: "I had just finished reciting my final prayer of the day and went to see what was happening with the fire opposite my house.
"I was at my front door when a big brown dog came and bit me in the leg, pulling me by down onto the pavement. The flesh on my leg came away and I was in terrible pain."
Mrs Ansari is expected to stay in hospital for at least a week and was last night unable to sit up or walk.
"I am still in shock," she said. "But I will be taking legal action."
Her sister-in-law Nasreen Akhai, a 30 year-old shopkeeper from Bordesley Green, Birmingham, said: "She has been in so much pain. Her young children are very distressed, as is the rest of the family.
"You expect police dogs to be disciplined and supervised.
"We are absolutely furious. We can't even seem to find out the police version of what happened, which makes it all the more frustrating. "We want answers." Nurses said Mrs Ansari's wounds would need further hospital treatment and that she could require an operation on her leg.
Personal injury solicitor Harry Ash-worth said the housewife could receive at least £5,000 compensation from the police. Mr Ashworth, from Birmingham law firm Challinors Lyon Clark, said: "She could be eligible for a civil compensation claim against the police for negligence.
"The amount she receives depends on whether she has a lifelong disfigurement or a very visible scar.
"Obviously police dogs are put through stringent training, but they are animals and can react in unexpected ways."
But last night West Midlands Police refused to apologise fully or accept responsibility for the attack on Mrs Ansari.
A spokeswoman said: "The dog was on a lead and heading to the site of the disorder when a woman stepped out of her home and, it is believed, straight into the path of the dog.
"Unfortunately the dog bit the woman in the leg."
Inspector Stuart Holder added: "We regret the injury suffered by this woman and will be speaking to her at her earliest convenience."
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