A pregnant woman has told how she fought with an eagle after it twice tried to attack her dog .
Marika Smith, 36, landed a kick on the bird of prey after it attacked her pet Tiny outside a primary school.
The Jack Russell/Pug cross was left covered in blood after the bird inflicted wounds with its beak and claws.
Marika, who escaped with her dog by jumping into a passing car, said: "It got hold of her and I had to kick it in the chest so many times for it to let go with her and then it attacked again.
"It landed on my dog and she was screaming and crying.
"I was trying to get it off my dog and it took a few seconds, but those seconds felt like a lifetime.
"When it was attacking Tiny it's wings were open and flapping and they were huge.
"I was petrified so I'm not even sure how I managed to get it off her."
Marika was walking near her home in Shoeburyness, Essex, when the "enormous" eagle launched its attack.
She believes it was a Golden Eagle, with a wingspan of at least 6ft.
After twice beating the bird off she and Tiny sought sanctuary in a passing car.
Marika, who is five months pregnant, added: “Luckily Tiny only had a cut right by her eye but it could have been much worse.
"If it weren't for the fact that we were in a metal box the bird would have definitely kept on attacking us.
"It has a blue ring around one if its legs, and a big beak, claws and its wings were bigger than me."
Tiny suffered injuries near her eyes but is expected to make a full recovery.
Marika believes the eagle may be an escaped pet or trained bird of prey.
She said: "I remember seeing a blue tag and a leather strap around its' leg.
"I think it's definitely belonged to a human at some point because it didn't seem too bothered by the presence of humans."
Three years ago a golden eagle called Stan escaped from its enclosure in Suffolk and was never found.
