A PUG puppy was mauled by another dog before being hit and killed by a truck as it tried to escape the savage attack in Carlisle on Sunday evening.

Still distraught today, the pug’s owners Ellie McKay and her fiance Simon Warman recounted their desperate efforts to rescue their beloved pet Lola after a dog leapt from a utility waiting at traffic lights on Orrong Road and attacked it.

“I heard a growling to the left of me ... as I looked a dog had latched on to Lola’s neck and was lifting her up, trying to rip her apart,” Ms McKay said.

“My partner tried to lift her up and get her away from the dog’s jaws and he almost had her, but then it grabbed her back down and ripped her harness and lead.”

Camera Icon Ellie McKay and her fiance Simon Warman have been traumatised by the death of their pet pug. Credit: Seven News.

As Ms McKay threw herself between the snarling white and black dog, which she thought looked like a pit bull or Staffordshire, and her beloved puppy, the injured and petrified Lola ran on to the busy road to escape.

Mr Warman ran after the dog but could only watch as it was struck by a passing truck.

“I don’t know if she would have been able to survive the attack either way ... she’s tiny,” Ms McKay said. “That dog was ripping her apart, it was snarling, it had fluids coming off its face.

“She was our baby and I don’t think we’ll ever get over watching her die, it was the worst experience of my entire life.”

As passing motorists stopped to help the distraught couple, Ms McKay said the owner of the attacking dog jumped out of his white ute to collect his animal.

Camera Icon Simon Warman watched in horror as the pug was mauled by another dog and then run over by a truck. Credit: Seven News.

“He shrugged and said ‘oh sorry about that’, grabbed his dog, put it back in his car and left us screaming with our dog, dead,” Ms McKay said. “He didn’t really care, he just drove off, too fast for us to even get our phones out to record.”

The couple had been returning from an evening walk with their one-year-old dog and were just minutes from home when the attack happened at the intersection of Orrong Road and Wright Street about 8pm.

They spoke out yesterday about the traumatic ordeal to urge the dog’s owner to do the right thing and contact authorities before his pet attacked another animal or a child.

Mr Warman said the man looked like he was aged in his 50s or early 60s, was quite tall, with grey hair, stubble and fair to medium skin.

They have asked any witnesses with dash cam footage of the incident to come forward.

Town of Victoria Park rangers are investigating and anyone who can help them identify the offending dog’s owner is asked to call 9311 8111.

A spokeswoman said under the Dog Act the owner could be charged for an attack causing harm and face a $400 fine but would not say if the animal could be destroyed.