A WOMAN said she will be ‘haunted for the rest of her life’ after she watched her much-loved dog being mauled to death by three other dogs in a horrendous attack. 

The 68-year-old woman had taken her cross Brittany Spaniel, Lewis, for a walk on Wednesday afternoon on a residential street in Eccleshill when the three other dogs, said to be Bull Mastiffs, pounced.

She said they came across the road in a line without making a sound before going for Lewis, a rescue dog, prompting her to scream for help as they tore into him. The woman attempted to kick the dogs, others on the street beeped their car horns in a bid to startle the dogs and bring a stop to the attack, while one woman grabbed a hose pipe to spray them with water. 

The woman said a man then came “out of nowhere” and took the dogs away, despite people shouting for him not to leave after what had happened. 

Lewis, who was stood with “blood pouring all over the floor” was taken to the vets, but it wasn’t good news.

His owner, who gave her name as Gwen, said: “They rang me and said I’m really sorry, he’s got 14 very deep wounds and that they’ve gone through to his oesophagus and he needs to be put to sleep.”

“I’m absolutely distraught,” she said. “No-one knows where the man in car the came from, or where he went.

“It was horrific, it was absolutely horrendous. I will never stop hearing my little dog screaming, I couldn’t get them off, I was kicking, kicking and kicking them, they wouldn’t let go.

“It will haunt me for the rest of my life.”

She added: “There’s various houses that have children, it could have been a child definitely.

“When I came back from the vets, we passed on Harrogate Road loads of people walking their dogs and I thought ‘if they only knew’. It could have been any of them.”

A kind-hearted neighbour who saw the attack unfold has set up a fundraising page to help with the cost of veterinary bills. She said the dogs jumped up against her fence before Lewis was attacked and she immediately took her children inside. 

The 34-year-old mum described what happened as “chaotic”, as people did what they could to help. 

“It was a nightmare,” she said. “It’s awful. I still can’t get it out of my head. When I went over, the dog was just bleeding, she [Gwen] was shaking, crying. There was blood everywhere, all over her.”

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “On Wednesday, April 14, police were called to reports of an incident involving a dog that had been attacked by three uncontrolled dogs in the Eccleshill area.

“As a result of the attack, the dog unfortunately had to be put down. Officers have attended and spoke with the owner of dog to establish the circumstances of the incident. 

“A crime has been recorded for allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control. 

“An investigation to identify the owner of the dangerous dogs is underway and enquiries are ongoing. Anyone with any information that may assist with enquiries is asked to contact 101, quoting reference 13210186315.”

To donate to the fundraising page, click here.