What was meant to be a typical early Sunday morning walk along Glenfield Road turned into a nightmare for Jessica Karaarslan, after she was knocked to the ground while her 5kg terrier, Roy, was attacked.

“Jess was approached by a fellow with two dogs and Roy ran behind her legs and hid but the Dalmatian knocked her out of the way,” Ms Karaarslan’s mother-in-law Leslea Riddle said.

Ms Riddle rushed to the scene when she received the phone call about the incident and said she had believed Roy died because the attack was so “savage”.

A small tail movement gave Ms Riddle hope and she picked up the small dog in a jacket and rushed him to the vet.

For a couple of hours they hoped he might survive, but his internal injuries, which included blood filling the lungs, meant he died that afternoon.

“We loved him and he was part of the family,” Ms Riddle said.

“He was only 10 months old and he was my grandchildren’s dog.

“They are heartbroken. It is very distressing to think you can’t just go and walk your dog on a Sunday morning.”

Ms Riddle said the family wished to share their story in the hope that it would show residents the importance of keeping a dog on a leash when walking in a public place.

Because they were so distressed at the time of the incident they did not stop to get the owner of the dog’s details.

For this reason the ranger they contacted advised them the matter was difficult to pursue.

That was confirmed yesterday by manager of environmental sustainability and regulatory services Mark Gardiner who said they would now undertake regular patrols in the area in response to what happened.

For now Roy’s family continue to grieve, yesterday visiting his grave site to lay flowers and remember the playful dog who they loved with all their hearts.

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