A WINSFORD family have been left devastated after their young puppy was mauled to death by a dangerous dog.

The incident happened at around 8.15pm on Saturday on Lodge Drive in Wharton.

Police were called to the scene to bring the offending dog, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross, under control, but sadly a seven-month-old Jack Russell cross named Hazel was pronounced dead.

The family say that the attack has changed their life as they know it, and they are left questioning why the dog, which is yet to be put down, was allowed into the community in the first place

“The dog came from an organisation of volunteers who offer dogs such as this a sort of last chance saloon,” a family member said.

“It didn’t have a muzzle on when it should have done, and it attacked our dog after the owner lost control of it.

“Our dog was only five or 10 metres away from the front door when it was mauled to death, and there was a stand-off for around two hours while the police tried to it under control.

“Eventually they managed to get hold of it and took it away, but it begs the question why dogs like this are allowed out.”

Despite only having the dog for a relatively short period of time, the family say that the chance to see it grow up has been snatched away from them.

And they are urging people to seek proper training before taking on the responsibility of looking after such dogs.

“We are absolutely devastated,” the family member added.

“This could have been avoided, but at the same time, it could have been a lot worse.

“We’ve only had the dog since August, but now the whole dynamic in the house has changed.

“We were looking forward to playing with the dog and taking it for walks for years to come, but we won’t get that chance now.

“We all doted on it as it was an absolute angel, and we’re just devastated that we’ve had to go through something like this.

“The dog attacked my wife as well, ripping her coat and hurting her shoulder, so she was lucky to escape without any further injuries.

“We sometimes took the dog for a walk with our grandchildren, so it was good job they weren’t with her at the time.

“People need to be properly trained and know how to deal with dogs of this kind to make sure that awful incidents like this don’t happen.”

A spokesperson for Cheshire Police added: “At around 8.15pm on Saturday, February 15, officers were called following reports that a dog had attacked another dog on a street in Winsford.

“The dog that was attacked, a Jack Russell cross, sadly died at the scene.

“The offending dog, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross, has been seized by police.

“Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting IML 638189.”