A West Belfast family have said they are heartbroken after their son's dog died following the horrendous injuries the pet received when attacked by a "pocket bully".
Conor Hartley said his mum had been out for a walk with his son's Jack Russell dog called Guss on February 12 in the Moor Park Mews area when the dog was suddenly set upon by what he believes was a bulldog type dog that was off its lead.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Conor said that Guss was put down shortly after the attack due to the seriousness of his injuries, with vets telling him that it was unlikely he would survive the night regardless of any treatment he would receive.
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He said that his mum had taken Guss for a walk close to their home when suddenly he was attacked by a much larger dog that Conor claims is a 'pocket bully', which is a cross between an American Bulldog and a smaller dog such as a terrier.
Conor said that the "bulldog" wrapped its entire jaws around the Jack Russell's body and began shaking it from side to side, refusing to let go. He said that after the attack a number of local residents came out of their homes to help free Guss and that it took a number of people to get the larger dog off him.
He also said that during the attack his mum was injured after being knocked to the ground trying to protect Guss. Conor said: "We got Guss for my son when he was two years old and he has grown up with the dog and absolutely adored him, our whole family did because he was such a brilliant wee dog.
"For something like this to happen to him has completely broken all of our hearts and my son is just in bits that Guss is no longer here with him.
"I have never seen anything like the injuries that Guss suffered, his whole body was torn to shreds, and we were told that no matter what treatment the vets could provide him it would be unlikely that he would make it through the night.
"We reported the attack to the police and the dog warden, but we have since been told that there is not much that they can do other than tell the owner to put a muzzle on the dog, which I think is shocking.
"I am worried that if this dog got out again it could severely injure another innocent wee dog or even a small child and it is clearly not being looked after properly where it has become so vicious that it would maul a dog completely out of the blue and cause such devastating damage."
Belfast City Council has said that its Dog Warden Service is aware of the incident and an investigation has been launched. The spokesperson added: "Our Dog Warden service has been made aware of a dog attack on Wednesday 12 February 2025 in the Moor Park area of west Belfast. The incident is being investigated and we cannot comment further while the investigation is ongoing."
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