A GRANDMOTHER has been left heartbroken after her dog was ripped to pieces by two larger dogs while she watched helplessly with her terrified grandson.

Carol Rogers was walking her 18-month-old smooth hair fox terrier Magic to the park in Winklebury on Tuesday at 3pm with her five-year-old grandson Thomas when the dogs came out of nowhere.

The 61-year-old said: "It was right outside Fort Hill School. The dogs just ran out. There were two of them and they just attacked her. I screamed for help, I couldn't get them off."

Carol, who is retired, said some workers from a building site came to help, but the two dogs, which she believes were a rottweiler and a pit bull type dog and were not with an owner, refused to let go of Magic.

"I knew she was dying," said devastated Carol, "I'm frightened of walking on the streets now. She was only 18 months and she was the most gentle creature. My little girl was being thrown about like a rag doll. It was just awful."

The mother-of-two and grandmother-of-two, from Kenilworth Road, Winklebury, said her grandson hid behind a fence during the attack, adding: "He was so shocked. Magic didn't know what had hit her and I couldn't save her, I couldn't help her. If it wasn't for those men coming out and getting the dogs off her I don't know what would have happened."

Carol's husband, Neville, took Magic to the vets, and she was then transferred to a specialist unit in Alton.

But the prognosis was not good.

Neville said: "They could have operated but it would mean opening her up in three or four separate places and she was only a small terrier so the chance of her surviving the surgery was quite low.

"Even if she got through the surgery the recovery was doubtful. We couldn't put her through the pain so we took the hard decision to let her go. It wasn't one of my best days."

Neville, 62, said his wife was traumatised by the incident, adding: "She saw her dog ripped to pieces in front of her and her grandson was hiding. All she was doing was going for a walk to the park and it turned into an horrendous outcome."

The couple hope to raise awareness of the dangerous dogs and hope that someone will come forward with information on who their owners are.

Neville said: "I don't think you could publish what I would say to the owners."

Police said are aware of an incident involving three dogs on land off Kenilworth Road.

Officers have identified the owner and the animals believed to be involved. Enquiries are ongoing.