A PROFESSIONAL dog walker may lose the use of both arms after being savagely mauled by her OWN bulldog.

Emma Taylor, 29, was walking in secluded woodland near Dalmuir’s Beardmore Street when American bulldog Maya turned on her.

The mother-of-one screamed for help but there was nobody around so she “played dead” while dialling 999 with her free hand, according to a close friend.

Police with shields managed to wrestle Maya away and bundled her into the back of a van.

She was initially treated in intensive care and doctors fear she could lose mobility in both arms and even lose her right arm completely.

Maya was spayed two weeks before the incident which is said to have changed her behaviour.

Emma is a trained zoologist and an animal behaviourist who helped Edinburgh Zoo with their famous giant pandas project.

The horror incident took place on Easter Monday just after 12.30pm as Emma walked a group of dogs by the canal.

Maya was fostered by the experienced pet-owner just six weeks ago and was on a lead when the attack happened, according to friends.

Emma was rushed into emergency surgery at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

A source close to the family said: “The dog was going to kill Emma – if it was a child they would have been dead. Maya seemed to be going in for the kill.

“Emma lay on the ground and played dead and managed to reach for her phone with her left hand to call for help. She is an animal behaviourist, she knows about dogs.

“They never had any problems with [Maya] before.

“Emma took her in as she fosters dogs, but Maya got on really well with their other dog, Caspar and so they decided to keep her.

“Maya was always so docile before.”

Emma, who runs a Dumbarton-based dog-walking service School of Walk, has been moved out of the ICU and into a high dependency unit.

A source added: “Surgeons have had to operate on her right arm. Doctors have said she is going to lose some of the function in her left arm as well.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said police enquiries are ongoing.

Friends are fundraising for Emma at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/emmathesaint.