Angel was dozing on the drive of owner Louise Mclean's house when she was fatally mauled last Monday.
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| RIP Angel |
Mrs McLean, 42, a mother of two, of Highfield Road, Chelmsford, said: "The dog was being looked after by our neighbours and the lady had taken the dog for a walk.
"As they returned from Melbourne Park the dog, who was on an extendable lead, attacked our cat, who was half asleep.
"My neighbour knocked on the door and told me that the dog she was looking after had attacked my cat but it (the cat) had fled."
Angel, 15, who was found the next day, had a broken leg, broken sternum, broken ribs, a ripped thorax and a ripped tongue, two bite marks and a tear under her chest.
Mrs Mclean rushed her to Clarendon House Veterinary Centre, Galleywood, but she had to be put to sleep on Friday lunchtime.
The police have said they can't help Mrs McLean and her family because the attack happened on private property and the dangerous dog laws only apply to attacks in public places.
Mrs McLean, who now has a £770 vet bill to pay, said: "The family is absolutely devastated. My four-year-old daughter Millie just sobs her heart out and keeps saying she misses her."
Vea McCabe, the vet who tried to save Angel, said the practice had seen a spate of dog attacks.
"Owners are understandably upset and concerned over the health and recovery of their animals," she said.
"We would recommend to all dog owners to socialise their pets from an early age. It is advisable to keep dogs on short leads and to practice recalls and obedience."
The attack comes just a week after 72-year-old Keith Rayner's Jack Russell dog was killed by a Staffordshire bull terrier in Savernake Park and the owner fled.
In 2010, 192 people were injured by dogs in a public place in Essex – up 32 from the previous year.
In the year up to September – the latest statistics available – there had been 172 dog attacks on people across the county, but police do not have figures of the number of attacks on other animals.
(Essex Chronicle - November 10, 2011)
