Stanley the cockapoo — mauled half to death by a pit bull before Easter — is back at home making a remarkable recovery.

The pet is likely to be permanently scarred and is still nervous of large animals, but owner Sandra Curtis says she is just relieved he has survived his ordeal.

Stanley was fighting for his life after the big dog appeared from nowhere and ripped the skin off the whole of one side of his body in the incident in Trinity Church Road, Bailey's Bay, in March.

Described by his owner as a little trooper, he has now undergone surgery twice and the wound has nearly healed. The offending dog has been put down.

Mrs. Curtis, who was walking Stanley when he was attacked, told The Royal Gazette yesterday: "He will have a scar for the rest of his life but he's going to be hopefully like he was before.

"The wound has probably just stopped bleeding. It's definitely going to all come together in the next couple of weeks.

"He doesn't want to walk down the street now — there's a memory there. I can't tell him that the dog isn't there any more. He's more tentative about breeds like that and large dogs.

"When small dogs come along, he's okay. I'm the one who's nervous. The image plays on my mind often. I will never forget it.

"But I can say that Stanley is a little trooper and has survived this ordeal."

Mrs. Curtis says Stanley has become a well-known figure on the Island since the attack was reported two months ago.

"It's really amazing how people do know who Stanley is," she said.

"It seems that everywhere I go, your readers know Stanley. A little girl even approached me while at the vets and said that they talked about Stanley in her school."