A puppy was killed in front of its owner after being mauled "like a ragdoll" outside the family home.
On Tuesday, July 27, at around 9.45pm, dad Phil Webster, from St Helens, began leaving his home to take his two Jack Russell terriers, Bertie and Freddie, out for a walk.
But as Phil was shutting his front door he said he heard "a commotion" behind him and saw two big dogs, who he described as similar looking to a Bullmastiff, "just appeared from nowhere."
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Phil said he was "shocked" when one of the dogs suddenly "made a beeline" for eight-month-old short-haired Freddie on his property and "pinned him" against the gates.
Phil tried to free Freddie from the other dog, whilst 18-month-old Bertie ran for cover under his car.
The dog-owner rang the police and drove with a neighbour to the vets, but Freddie died during the car journey after suffering multiple puncture wounds.
Phil, 44, told the ECHO: "With the hot weather I was quite conscious, so I was taking them for a walk late evening. I've been doing this for sort of the last week around 9.30pm and 10pm.
"As I'm shutting the door I just heard this commotion. I just said behave you two, pack it in you two and then as I turned the corner, still on my property, these two great big dogs - I've never seen anything like it - just appeared from nowhere.
"Just by the sheer brute force and the size of the dog, we couldn't get him off.
"He had Freddie in his mouth like a rag doll and had no intention of letting him go. This other dog came snarling around, big teeth glaring and slobbering."
Phil said the other dogs were not on leads and that he could see three other people metres away watching what was happening.
He said: "They left me to it and they could see I was in distress. Eventually after what felt like forever, this woman did come up and she was just basically trying to get her dog away.
"I was shouting and screaming. I was shouting for these people to stay where they were and to please help me. They sort of seemed to laugh it off basically, they couldn't get away quick enough
"They said 'we’ll be back, we’ll be back' and they never did."
Phil said Freddie "never stood a chance" and vets told him even if they had got him to them quicker his injuries were not survivable.
He added: "He had three major puncture wounds to his abdomen, cuts and bruises. It was the puncture wounds that killed him.
"He didn't stand a chance, he was pinned against our gates."
Phil said his wife Melloney and son Harry, aged 11, have been left "devastated" by what happened.
He said he sustained minor scratches and rope burns from his dogs leads to his arms and that Bertie suffered no injuries, but is "not himself at all."
Phil said: "My sons is just devastated. He’s heartbroken. My wife, she’s not really spoken.
"We’re shocked. I know we hadn't had him that long but he was such a character, everybody who I know just thought he was adorable and now it’s like an empty space.
"He was fantastic, we got him to calm our other dog down because he was on his own and he was a bit boisterous - but he did calm him down.
"They got on like a house on fire from day one. He's just wondering around thinking where's my mate."
Phil put an appeal out on social media for more information to find the owners and said the amount of support from people, mostly from strangers, has been "overwhelming."
He said: " At the end of the day if it wasn't me it could have been an old lady and the situation could have been a whole lot worse.
"I just want to warn people about these dogs, they should be at least on leads or if they're dangerous have a muzzle, especially on a public street where there’s lots of children and a school nearby."
I n a statement today, Merseyside Police said: "Officers in St Helens are investigating following reports of a dog attack on Tuesday, 27 July.
"Officers were called to Dunmail Avenue, when it was reported that at around 9.45pm a man was walking his two Jack Russell terriers, when one was attacked by two dogs that were off their leads.
"The Jack Russell died a short time later and the man suffered an injury to his hand as a result of the attack. One of the dogs is described as being black, possibly a large, muscular bull mastiff type and the second, a brown dog of similar build but sandy brown in colour.
"The investigation is at an early stage but officers are pursuing a number of lines of enquiry and would urge anyone who has any information about this incident to come forward."
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Inspector Alyson Keenan said: "This was an appalling incident leaving a man injured and his dog sadly dead. I want to make it clear that we will not tolerate irresponsible dog ownership.
"It is a criminal offence to allow a dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place and dog owners have a responsibility to ensure their dog does is on a lead and under control.
"I would also ask anyone with information about this incident or dangerous dogs in their area to contact us so that we can take action."
If you witnessed the incident or have any information, please contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police Contact Centre. You can also call 101 quoting incident reference 21000524632 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form here.
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