A horrific 20-minute struggle to prise a defenceless dog from the jaws of another has been captured on a shop owner’s CCTV cameras.
Jeanne Consterdine, 80, was walking her Yorkshire terrier Pippa past a corner shop in Valley View, Baildon, when a rampaging dog suddenly appeared from around a corner and clamped its teeth into Pippa’s neck and face.
The pensioner was injured in the incident and footage shows her looked dazed and distressed as passers-by stop and intervene.
A male appears almost immediately, repeatedly punching the vicious dog’s neck while Pippa’s owner clutches her lead.
The desperate attempts to break them up fail and Vinay Dhand, owner of Baildon Green Convenience Store, lashes at the dog’s body with a stick.
A crowd of people assemble. One boy kicks the dog as it pins Pippa to the ground. Some of the onlookers appear disturbed by the scene and avert their eyes.
Eventually the dog releases Pippa. Someone grabs hold of it and Mrs Consterdine is led away cradling her injured pet in her arms.
She told the Telegraph & Argus: “It was the most horrific thing I have ever seen in my life, these dogs need taking off the roads.
“She’s 13 next month and I’ve had her since she was eight weeks old.
“People were beating this dog. My hands were black with hitting it. It’s like banging your hands on a wooden table. They’re hard as nails.”
Mr Dhand said: “It’s eyes were red like a ghost.
“The dog that was attacked, it’s neck, ear and eyes were practically ripped off. It was horrible.”
An ambulance took Mrs Consterdine to hospital suffering from shock and bruising.
“There were lots of people watching and there was blood all over the place,” she said. “A neighbour came out and put his fingers in the dog’s eyes. It was only then that he let go.
“Someone brought a towel and wrapped Pippa in it. It was soaked in blood. The people couldn’t have been kinder.”
Pippa was taken to Bradford’s PDSA PetAid hospital and fed by a drip but was last night returned home on medication.
A police spokesman said the other dog was believed to be a Staffordshire bull terrier and officers from the Shipley Neighbourhood Policing Team were investigating the incident.
Joanne Housley, Bradford Council’s environmental health manager, said: “Our Dog Warden Service works closely with the police and any notification from them that we get, we will act upon.
“This could take the form of issuing a warning letter to the owner but if there is specific evidence to prosecute we will do so.
“We do receive reports of dangerous dogs but these could include dogs attacking other animals as well as other dogs, or general aggressive and alarming behaviour.”
e-mail: tanya.orourke @telegraphandargus.co.uk
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