Pet owners have been warned to be on their guard following an attack on two animals.

Deborah Holland went to check on the animals at her home in Mannville Road, Keighley, and saw that a sheet covering the cage had been 'ripped to bits'.

She then discovered that her brown floppy-eared rabbit's neck had been broken.

In addition, her grey and white long haired guinea pig had been savaged by a dog. Deborah found it in a nearby garden.

Deborah, 23, who works in a Bradford pet shop, had had the animals since Christmas. She says: "I rushed them down to the vet and I was told the rabbit had suffered a broken neck and the guinea pig's injuries were consistent with an attack by a bull terrier-type dog.

"I can't believe this has happened. There is someone very sick out there or with a very dangerous dog. I just want to warn other animal owners. I would not want them to find what I found."

It seems that whoever carried out the attack lifted the mesh covering the front of the cage and took the rabbit out. "They appear to have taken it out, killed it, and then put it back in the cage," Deborah says.

Keighley Police Inspector Mick Hopwood says the police were sorry to hear that Deborah's pets had been killed. "We appreciate that this must be a very distressing time for her," he says.

"We have examined the circumstances and at this moment it is not clear just how this has happened. But it does seem clear that a dog has been involved in the attack on the animals.

"We will make an appeal to anyone with information and ask pet owners to be aware of dangerous dogs that may be loose in the area."

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