UNITED KINGDOM -- A woman whose puppy was killed by another dog has spoken of her anger after she was told by police they could not do anything about it.
Kate Nutbourne, 19, from Ryde, on the Isle of Wight, was walking her 12-week-old Cockapoo on Appley beach when they were approached by a "muscular" dog.
She said: "All of a sudden it went for him, crushed his skull, shook him like a rabbit and broke his neck."
On Friday a police spokeswoman said it was still an open investigation.
She added: "While we can't do anything under section three of Dangerous Dogs Act, because there wasn't an attack on a human, we are taking statements from the dogs owners to see exactly what happened and establish whether there was an offence under any other part of the act."
Ms Nutbourne said when she first reported the attack on Wednesday afternoon she was told there was nothing that could be done about a dog on dog attack even though the owner of the two year-old Staffordshire bull terrier was standing close by and had refused to put his animal on a lead.
"The only real advice we've been given is that we'll have to make a private prosecution, which we can't afford to do," she added.
"It makes me really angry."
'Should be muzzled'
A man who witnessed the attack said he thought the reaction of the owner was "pretty disgusting".
The walker, who said he did not want to be named, added: "He didn't look concerned at all and when they ran off to take their puppy to the vet he just carried on walking up the beach with the dog still off the lead.
"I think it's pretty bad. If they've got a dog like that it should be on a lead and muzzled."
Remembering the moment her dog Charlie was killed, Ms Nutbourne said: "I have a mental block, all I remember was screaming a lot."
She has since posted a warning on a local website and said she had been contacted by a number of other dog owners that had also had their dogs attacked on the beach.
"I just want something done about it before it kills another dog, or worse, harms a child." she said.
(BBC News - Jan 13, 2012)
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