Noelie Petersen, 75, was in the back yard of her Fairymead Rd home on Sunday with her dog, Sharnie, when she heard the neighbour's dog barking.
"That usually means there are other dogs in the street," she said.
"I saw the two large dogs, but before I could get Sharnie inside, she ran out to the front yard and one of the dogs just attacked and grabbed her."
Without thinking of her own safety, the 75-year-old threw herself at the attacking dog in an attempt to save her beloved companion.
"I was punching the dog to get it away from Sharnie," she said.
"I managed to throw the dog off, but before I could get inside, it came at us again."
Ms Petersen said she yelled for help, but there was no one else around. Eventually she managed to get herself and her dog inside.
Ms Petersen's daughter, Tanya Petersen, said she received a terrifying call from her mother.
"We live at Welcome Creek, so we flew into town and took Mum straight to emergency," she said.
Ms Petersen was treated for bites to her hand and leg before she returned home to phone a vet to treat her injured dog.
Sharnie also underwent surgery, but did not survive her horrific injuries.
The incident has been lodged with Bundaberg Regional Council, which is investigating the matter, but the dogs have not yet been located.
Ms Petersen is appealing for anyone who knows of the whereabouts of the dogs - which she described as a black collie-cross and a large, pale tan dog with long legs - to contact the council before someone else or another dog was injured or worse.
A council spokesman confirmed animal control staff would continue their investigations into the incident and would act on any public information regarding the dogs as a matter of priority.
Council health and regulatory services spokesman Wayne Honor said dog attack issues were taken very seriously.
"If they can, people should try to collect as much information as possible on a dangerous dog to help identify the animal," he said.
(Bundaberg News Mail - Oct 5, 2012)
