A hit and run on Ampfield Hill could have been a targeted attack.

A puppy was left with serious injuries after what was originally believed to have been a hit and run incident.

The puppy was hit at speed by a white Ford Transit van with a ladder on the roof on Saturday August 14 between 4.30pm and 4.40pm.

Initial reports from Hampshire Police had suggested the puppy, a 5-month-old Belgian malinois called Hunter was hit on Ampfield Hill by an unknown assailant but new information reveals the puppy may have been the subject of a targeted attack which actually took place on private grounds at Weston Warmbloods, a stallion breeding and training centre situated just off Ampfield Hill and not near the public road as was previously stated.

Gerda Weston, owner of the puppy said: "He was nowhere near the road. He was sat outside my house. I was haying the fields and my [12 year old] grandson was sat outside and saw everything.

“My grandson said a white van came speeding down my drive and at high speed, drove straight at Hunter, hit him and drove off. He [Hunter] was screaming so the driver knew he had hit him. He was screaming so loud.

“My grandson wasn’t able to get the registration number of the van.

“It wasn’t a delivery driver, he drove straight past the stables, the arena, my daughters house and never stopped to ask directions.

“All we have at the end of the drive is a turning circle and my house."

“Police weren’t hundred percent sure that he wasn’t targeted. The first police officer that came thought he was targeted.”

Gerda said the drive which leads to the house is 2 to 3 hundred metres long and there was no reason for anyone to have driven down on Saturday. They weren’t expecting visitors and had nothing planned.

Hunter is now recovering. Gerda said: “He [Hunter] is bruised and has lost a lot of fur down one side. He is needing to attend the veterinary clinic every couple of days to be checked up. Its going to be a slow recovery. I thought he was going to die.”

Pictures were posted by Gerda’s daughter Anna on a Facebook page showing the puppy had lost a lot of blood after the incident and was rushed to the vets for emergency medical treatment. They also want to correct the misinformation which has led people to accuse the owners on social media of not knowing where the puppy was when he was hit and for letting him walk on public highways without a lead.

Hampshire Police continue to ask for anyone with CCTV footage, dash-cam videos, or information to call them on 101, quoting reference 44210324063.

The force previously stated: “We would also be keen to hear from the driver of the van, or anyone who knows who that might be.”

Police have been contacted for further comments about this new information.