A family have been left devastated after their 'lovely little doggie' died hours after a suspected double hit-and-run in Oldham.
Charles Hurst, 74, had been looking after Taco for the past six months while son Tez Hurst and his partner Danielle Stevenson have been expecting their first child.
The 10-year-old Brussels griffon snuck out of Charles' home in Lees on Monday morning (June 14) before escaping to High Street.
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After desperately trying to find the beloved dog, Charles was told that Taco had been run over by a driver who fled the scene, before a second car hit the dog and failed to stop.
Charles said: "It's so sad. He never went out on his own ever.
"I'm running around trying to find him and a guy pulls up and says 'are you looking for a little dog? One has just been run over on High Street'.
"I took him to the vets in Lees, they were doing what they could for him but at night they had to get him to the dog hospital in Mossley.
"I got a call at 2.30am saying that he had passed away."
Charles believed his front door was closed when he brought his groceries back from the supermarket, but the hinges were not completely secure and Taco managed his escape.
CCTV footage from the house showed that Taco sat outside the front door for 10 minutes before he ventured off into the village.
Having asked businesses for CCTV footage and spoken to witnesses, Charles believes the first person who ran over Taco was a female driver in a white Citroen car and he is confident of gaining footage of the second car.
Charles says the ordeal has 'cost a fortune' in vets' fees, but the emotional impact has been far more significant.
He said: "I can't eat anything. I'm just in tears all the time. We just loved him so much, everybody did.
"It's so sad that someone could do that. She knew she had run him over, the wheel went over his body, and she drove off.
"To drive off and leave him is the most terrible thing that could happen to a dog owner. He was like our baby.
"When he came six months ago he brought so much happiness to the house. That's how he was, just happy. He was a lovely little doggie."
Charles is thankful for the help he has received from the community in Lees this week, having provided CCTV footage from the incident.
He says he will contact Greater Manchester Police with the evidence once he has it all ready.
