'Killer dog' snatched pet from woman's arms

The Yorkshire terrier, called Millie, was attacked on a cycle path in Renfrewshire

A Yorkshire terrier was fatally injured by a pitbull-type dog which snatched the pet from the arms of its owner.

The attack happened on a cycle path in Renfrewshire, between Bridge of Weir and Brookfield, at about 18:25 on Wednesday evening.

A woman and her daughter were walking the Yorkshire terrier, called Millie, and picked her up as a precaution but the larger dog snatched her away.

Police are trying to trace a couple who were walking the aggressive dog.

The man was aged about 30 with a scar on his face, about 5ft 4in tall, medium build and wearing a royal blue zipper.

The woman was in her late 20s, about 5ft 8in tall with long brown hair. She was wearing black leggings, a grey zipper and a black jacket.

The dog is described as a pitbull or Staffordshire bull terrier-type animal, brown or black in colour with white down its chest.

'Brutal attack'

The owner's daughter posted on Facebook that the dog was off its lead and the couple appeared to have been drinking.

Her mother scooped up Millie, but the larger dog leapt up and dragged her away.

She wrote: "It jumped up and snatched Millie out of my Mums arms then brutally attacked her.

"It was a struggle to get the dog off Millie as it had put her right into the side under the bushes and had a strong grip of her.

"Eventually the girl had gotten the dog off but they were willing to walk away without showing any remorse which the most sickening thing about it."

The owner took Millie to a vet but it was not possible to save the the 10-year-old dog which had suffered a punctured lung and damaged arteries.

The post continued: "We don't want this to happen to anyone who has pets or even young children as the people are still out there and their killer dog.

"Our family is absolutely distraught and traumatised from this, we want justice for our wee Millie she never deserved to suffer and be brutally killed the way she did."

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact police on the 101 non-emergency number.

The incident was at least the third fatal dog-on-dog attack in Scotland this month.

On 7 August a spaniel was mauled to death by a mastiff-type dog in Edinburgh's New Town.

On Tuesday a bull-terrier type dog fatally wounded a Jack Russell in Aberdeen.