Family’s agony as vicious dog kills much-loved pet
A FAMILY were left heartbroken after their beloved pet dog was torn from its lead and killed by an escaped Bullmastiff.
The Firth family had owned twoyear-old Roxie since she was a puppy and she had become a support dog to dad, Daniel, who has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Son Michael, 14, was walking Roxie at Spen Bottoms, close to the family’s house, when the attack happened.
He spotted the Bullmastiff, which police later said had escaped from a nearby business unit, roaming free and started to walk in the opposite direction. But the dog followed them and soon launched at Roxie.
Witnesses tried to help the traumatised boy but the Bullmastiff ran off into the undergrowth with Roxie still in its mouth.
Mum Naomi rushed down to the scene. She said: “A man managed to get her off the dog and handed her to me.
“She couldn’t move or make a noise I just ran to the car to get her to the vets in Brighouse. We rang ahead and they cleared out all their appointments but there was nothing could be done.
“She had catastrophic injuries. Her spinal column had been severed.”
All the vets could do was make Roxie as comfortable as possible while she died.
Naomi said Roxie had always been an important part of the family but became central during lockdown.
She said: “During lockdown walking Roxie was the thing that we all looked forward to. We used to all get dressed up and take her out. The kids didn’t have any human contact for weeks so Roxie became really important for everyone in the family.”
The family hope to buy another Poochon puppy and have set up GoFundMe page, which has raised more than £2,000 so far.
“As much as we can’t replace Roxie and she was one of a kind it’s about trying to make the family whole again.
“I never really thought about it too much when she was alive, but how can such a small dog be such a big part of our family?”
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: “Police were called to an address on Valley Road, Cleckheaton, at 6.50pm on Tuesday, September 1, to reports of a dog dangerously out of control.
“An offence of a dog being dangerously out of control has been recorded and enquiries remain ongoing.”