Man's heartbreak as beloved pet dog mauled to death in savage greyhound attack

20 January 2024 , 11:26

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Dannii, left, and Kylie, went everywhere together (Image: Steve Hobbs)

A man has been left heartbroken after his dog was killed in a horrifying attack by another animal on a walk.

Steve Hobbs was out with his two beloved chihuahuas when they were reportedly attacked by two greyhounds in the street. Despite Steve's desperate attempts to save her, six-year-old Kylie couldn't escape and suffered severe injuries. "After emergency surgery she passed away from her injuries," Steve told CoventryLive.

Steve, who works for Jaguar Land Rover, says the tragedy is also affecting Dannii, who was very close to Kylie. "She's not been the same since," he said. "They got on so well and did everything together. Kylie was very independent and was quite different to Dannii. Kylie would sleep downstairs, but every morning she'd come upstairs and look for Dannii. It's really upsetting because they got on fantastically."

"It's been a really traumatic time. It's hit me in a way I could never have imagined. I've never felt like this before and just taking each day as it comes." Steve claimed that the man walking the greyhounds at the time of the attack was doing so as a favour for the owner. "Their leads were just dangling on the floor giving them freedom to run off," he said.

Six-year-old chihuahua Kylie suffered fatal injuries in an attack by a greyhound in Coventry (Steve Hobbs)

Steve, who believes greyhounds can be aggressive towards smaller dogs, wants to raise awareness. "I never knew how dangerous ex-racing greyhounds can be," he said. "I've done some research since the attack and found out a bit more. Ex-racing dogs are trained to chase hares and rabbits so it's almost instilled in them."

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"A lot of people I've spoken to on forums have said ex-racing dogs are used to wearing muzzles so why weren't these greyhounds wearing them? I just don't understand it."

Steve has handed over CCTV footage of the attack to West Midlands Police. He has also alerted local dog wardens and urged them to pass on messages of vigilance and advice to the public.

This is the moment a chihuahua was attacked by a greyhound in Coventry, suffering injuries it later died from (Steve Hobbs)

"If it can prevent even just one family from going through what we have had to go through then that is a result," he said." A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "We were called after a dog was injured by another dog on Burbages Lane, Coventry, on the morning of 9 January. We have received CCTV footage and are carrying out enquiries. Anyone with information has been asked to get in touch, quoting 20/128697/24."

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Georgia Diebelius