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A distraught dog owner has issued an urgent appeal to find her miniature chihuahua after it was snatched by a seagull from her garden.

The four-year-old dog called Gizmo was in the garden of Becca Hill's house in Paignton when a seagull swooped down and flew away with the small pup in its beak.

The shocking incident was witnessed by Becca's partner on Sunday afternoon.

The brown and white male dog is still missing and Becca, 24, is hoping the power of social media and the press will help reunite her back with her dog.

She said: "My partner was in the garden putting the washing out at the time and suddenly he saw it swoop down. It carried Gizmo a fair way as we couldn't see him anymore. I have no idea if he was dropped or where he is now."

Becca, who owns three chihuahuas in total , added that she has heard of this happening but never expected it to happen to her.

There are several recorded incident of birds attacking small dogs. In May 2015 another Devon pet owner watched in horror as her beloved chihuahua puppy was killed by a flock of seagulls.

Niki Wayne, 57, found the birds pecking tiny Bella to death after the pup pushed open a door and got out.

Tragedy struck when her owner was in the shower and Bella managed to nudge open a slightly ajar door and was killed by the birds.

Mum-of-five Nikki, from Honiton, said at the that she will never forget the incident, and issued warnings to other residents to remain vigilant to prevent another attack.

She said she first noticed the seagulls perched on the roof, peering into the garden at the tiny dog and decided to seek advice.

Gizmo is still missing and several people are helping with the search. Anyone with information is asked to call 07774724797.

An RSPB spokesman said: "This must be extremely upsetting for the dog's owner. Fortunately these types of incidents are very rare and not typical gull behaviour."

More as we have it.