Grandparents Brett and Carolyn Burnton were left in shock after their 10-year-old Yorkshire terrier, Sophie, died "within seconds" of being attacked in their own back garden.
Mr Burnton, 55, said police told him the American bulldog cross that attacked Sophie belonged to a neighbour, who had got the dog from the Just for Dogs rescue and rehoming centre, in Brailsford.
That neighbour, who is disabled, has returned the dog to the charity, which says it will not be re-homed again.
Mr Burnton, of Wingfield Drive, Chaddesden, said he and his wife were inconsolable. He said: "Sophie was our baby. We'd had her for nine years since she was a pup. She was only the size of a bag of sugar and stood no chance of surviving the attack."
The incident happened as Mr Burnton returned home at 5.30pm on September 7. He said: "I pulled into my drive and heard crying. I went into the garden and saw Sophie on the ground. She died within seconds of the attack.
"My wife had just come home from work and let Sophie into the garden. She walked back in and then heard a lot of barking. She came back out and saw a boxer-like dog making a beeline for Sophie.
"The dog had broken through our garden fence and run about 30ft across our garden. It then jumped 3ft over a metal fence and dropped 7ft into our pond. It then grabbed Sophie with its teeth and shook her from side to side. Sophie escaped but it got her again.
"To say we're devastated is an understatement. We've also got a 10-month-old border collie, Barney, who really misses Sophie."
Mr and Mrs Burnton, who also own three cats and a chicken, face a bill in excess of £100 to have Sophie's remains cremated and her ashes returned to them.
Margaret Smith, who runs Just for Dogs, extended her sympathies to Mr and Mrs Burnton and invited them to contact the centre should they wish to.
She was shocked by the incident and said the American bulldog cross had shown no sign of aggression in two years at the centre.
She said: "I inspected the garden at the property where we were re-homing him and never in a million years would have thought that dog could have jumped the fence. We're very sad about what happened. The dog will now stay with us until it dies."
(Derby Telegraph - September 21, 2012)
