Dog seized after Pomeranian killed in Warrington attack

Elvis the Pomeranian was killed in the attack

A dog has been seized by police after a smaller dog was decapitated in an attack which occurred in front of young children in Warrington.

The dog responsible for the fatal attack on Saturday is being examined by Cheshire Police to identify the breed.

The incident was reported at 16:40 BST, after a Pomeranian dog called Elvis was attacked in a garden on Kingsway South and died of its injuries.

Ch Insp Darren Hebden described it as a "horrendous attack".

Several young children were present at the time, including a four-year-old girl. A photograph of the Staffordshire bull terrier-type dog and its owner was taken by the child's father.

The photograph of the bloodied dog owner struggling to control the dog was posted on Twitter by Elvis's owner, Gemma Antell, from Warrington, who said her dog had been "decapitated".

"If it was capable of doing that to another dog, then you would have to be afraid of what it could potentially do to a child's arm, or worse," she said.

"People were screaming at her, but apparently she just said: 'It's not his fault - he's only a baby'."

'Elvis was dead'

Mrs Antell was around the corner at home on her son's sixth birthday.

She was alerted to the attack by her mother-in-law, Margaret Antell.

"It was all the more shocking due to the fact that the woman who had the dog, and a man who was with her, just walked away," said Mrs Antell.

"Everyone in the community is very upset, but luckily the police seized the dog."

Mr Hebden said he was aware of pictures on social media "which will undoubtedly cause concern for the community, but I can reassure people that we have now seized the offending dog, so there is no risk to the general public".

He said: "This was a horrendous attack and was clearly very distressing.

"We will be speaking to the owners in due course and will do all we can to deal with the incident appropriately within the guidelines of the law."

Cheshire Police appealed for anyone with information on the attack to come forward.