“I thought I was in a nightmare," says Jayne Abbott.
Mrs Abbott and her husband Bill were shopping at Trade Depot on Watts Rd in Sockburn on Thursday when she took Alfie, who was on a lead, to the toilet on a grass verge near the car park.
Two dogs, which had leaped out of the window of their owner’s parked car, came from behind and attacked Alfie, latching on to his nose and ripping at his back legs.
Said Mrs Abbott’s daughter Sarah: “By this stage, because mum had been screaming, people came out of the Trade Depot shop, including the owners, two men; even they struggled to prise the dogs off Alfie.
“The guy said to dad: ‘I’ll give you my details’. Then he just loaded the dogs in the car and drove off. We don’t know who they are or what their names are or anything.”
The couple were able to get the car’s registration plate number, which they passed on to police, which also obtained CCTV footage of the incident.
The vehicle was registered to an address in Ashburton.
A police spokeswoman confirmed all relevant information had been passed onto Christchurch City Council for its investigation.
Alfie died in Mrs Abbott’s arms less than five minutes after the attack.
Both Mr and Mrs Abbott had bites on their hands that required medical attention and Mr Abbott’s fingernail was punctured during his attempts to save Alfie.
“This is my dog, my life, it could have been my granddaughter.
“It has been so surreal. We are numb and exhausted and emotional.
“It’s ruined my life and when, and if, we get another dog, I don’t know if I will ever be able to walk that dog publicly again,” Mrs Abbott said.
City council head of regulatory compliance Tracey Weston said its investigation into the attack is ongoing.