Michelle Keifer’s pet Nimh didn’t stand a chance against the huge animal, whose owner, she said, did little to stop him clamping his jaws round the tiny pup- then apparently ran off with his two children and dog in tow.
Michelle, who fears the dog is dangerous and a child could be his next target, hopes witnesses will come forward to help the police track him down.
Nimh was not just a pet - he was also in training to be a therapy dog to assist wheelchair user Michelle who has Ehlers-danlos syndrome, which causes severe fatigue and joint pain.
She was by her side every day, helping her pick up her belongings and even taking off her socks.
Michelle, 48, a mum of two, said: “I can’t believe she’s gone. I can’t eat or sleep. She was vital to help me through the day and we loved her.
“Her scream was terrible as he chased her and killed her. I need to warn people and we need to find this dog, the owner has no control over him.
“One minute he was a normal dog [pit bull], the next minute he was a monster. What if it’s a child next?”
Michelle and her friend were walking Nimh at Chorlton Water Park on August 26 at 6.30pm. Nimh had been happily playing with her ‘best friend’, a Staffordshire pit bull named Cookie also owned by Michelle, when the ‘blue’ pit bull approached.
Michelle spotted instantly that he was too big to play with Nimh - but her first two requests for the owner to restrain him were ignored.
It was as Nimh was about to jump on Michelle’s knee for protection that the other dog’s behaviour changed and he aggressively chased her down a hill.
Michelle said: “I’d just asked the owner to move him for the third time and he was about to do something. But his dog had started tracking her. She was screaming, then he got her in his jaw and gripped her. It was horrible.”
Michelle’s friend tried desperately to unclamp his jaw - even throwing him in the water. But it was too late and little Nimh was dead.
Michelle, a counselor, said: “I’ve not been able to work, I can’t believe she’s gone. She was more than a pet. She meant so much to us and now she’s gone.
“Cookie has bad hips and Nimh had given her a new lease of life. She is so sad now, she growls at every dog, she can’t trust them any more.”
Nimh was also special because she was bred from Michelle’s daughter’s pet, an assistance dog who helps her with autism.
The attacking dog is described as an ‘overweight’ silver-grey or ‘blue’ pit bull-type dog. His owner was dark-haired and had a beard and was with two small sandy-haired children aged around three and five.
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