Hampshire dog walkers have insisted they ‘are not afraid’ after a teenager walking her dog was left fighting off an attacker.

Walkers across the New Forest have said they still feel safe walking their pets despite the attack that left 16-year-old Kyra Taylor punched in the head after her dog was labelled as a dangerous breed.

Kyra’s mother, Julie-Anne Taylor, issued a warning to dog walkers as her daughter suffered an injury to her temple after a man in his 20s approached Kyra on a bike in Calshot.

Despite the plea for vigilance from her mother, walkers throughout the New Forest say they still see no reason to feel threatened.

Jan Richards, from Fawley, said she walks her two dogs, Ruben, a King Charles spaniel and Marley, a Barbet cross, almost every day, and has never been threatened.

Jan, 66, said: “I do feel safe around here. I take my dogs down to the beach at Calshot but I’ve never had any issues from anybody. I wouldn’t say my gender makes a difference either as to whether somebody could target me or not.”

Alex King, 24 of Holbury, said: “Of course there are dangerous people out there, but I wouldn’t say my two dogs, Doug, a Staffie Terrier and Marley, a Collie Spaniel, make much of a difference in relation to crime.

"I’d like to think that walkers aren’t being targeted, particularly women but you never know.”

New Forest District Councillor Allan Glass said dogs themselves may be the target.

Cllr Glass, representing Holbury and North Blackfield said: “I have a dog myself and have never felt under threat. The beach in Calshot is like a little community itself. Some dogs are getting expensive, so that could have been it, the reason for the attack.”

Michael James, 73, walks Buddy, four, a Havanese cross, every day.

He said: “I’m always safe but I don’t go far, so I have no reason to feel threatened walking my dog around Fawley.”

Pam Kemish, 77, said: “I’m not really worried, I normally stick to the path. I’ve only had the one bad experience about five years ago with my West Highland Terrier, Ellie, but it’s a lovely area.”

Hampshire Constabulary said that there have been no reports of a similar nature in the area.