A woman stabbed her estranged husband twice after he revealed he had their rescue dogs put down, a court has heard.

Claire Bridger, 64, is said to have left Keith Bridger with life-threatening injuries after lunging at him with the blade, hitting him in the chest and abdomen.

The defendant ‘became hysterical’ after driving to the address where her husband was staying to ask him to pay for their next mediation session and learning that both dachshunds had been euthanised, jurors were told.

Prosecutor Peter Gair said: ‘She was screaming “You've killed my dogs”.’

Bridger got out of the car with a knife in her right hand and stabbed her husband twice, once in the chest and once in the abdomen, Mr Gair added.

She also allegedly bit him on the arm as he lay on the floor bleeding and crying out for help.

Neighbours rushed over when they became aware of what was happening and tried to wrestle the knife from Bridger before calling the emergency services.

Part of the 999 call was played to the jury, during which the caller told the operator: ‘There’s a woman with a knife.’

Claire Bridger, 64, is said to have left Keith Bridger with life-threatening injuries after lunging at him with the blade when she learned their two rescue dogs had been put down

Bridger appeared to be screaming at her husband ‘You killed my dogs’ and calling him a ‘horrible man’.

Mr Bridger was also heard to say: ‘She stabbed me.’

When police arrived, the defendant allegedly told them ‘he killed my dogs’ before adding: ‘I just saw red’.

The couple had been together for almost 40 years but separated the year before the alleged incident on the night of July 17 last year, Norwich Crown Court heard.

Mr Gair said they had taken in a rescue dog at the marital home in Taverham, Norfolk, in March 2020, days before the first lockdown during the pandemic, before homing another one a year later.

The pets, described as ‘quite noisy’ and ‘bitey’ and having ‘behavioural issues’, were being looked after by Mr Bridger after the relationship foundered.

But he wasn’t allowed to keep them permanently at his one-bedroom accommodation in Bramerton and attempts to rehome them had proved unsucccessful.

‘He felt there was only one option and that was to have them put down,’ said Mr Gair.

The couple's dachshunds, pictured with one of their daughters

Mr Bridger, pictured with a different dog, had been unable to keep the dachshunds at his single-bedroom accommodation, the court has heard

The defendant had not been made aware of the decision and demanded ‘Where are my dogs?’ when she arrived at her alleged victim’s home to discuss the mediation session.

Mr Bridger’s ‘severe’ and ‘life-threatening’ injuries were treated by a neighbour who is a doctor before he was taken to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.