Leeds family’s despair as their beloved pet dog dies after being ‘ripped to shreds’ by pit bull

Tracey Tennant took her dog to the vets after it was attacked on Saturday morning (December 3) while they were on a walk in East Ardsley. She said that shortly after arriving another dog was brought in with similar injuries after being mauled by the same dog nearby.

The incidents have been reported to the police and Miss Tennant has urged anyone who may know the dog owner to contact the force.

Miss Tennant was walking with her 12-year-old greyhound Liquorice at around 10am when it was attacked on Buttercup Lane.

Speaking on Tuesday, she said: “As I walked home I could hear somebody shouting really loud ‘get here, get here!’ I started walking faster because I knew something was not right. Then this big white pit bull with tan markings came charging at us. It knocked me to the floor and ripped my dog to shreds in front of me.

"The guy came up and booted it and walked away. I said ‘I want your details’ and he just carried on walking. He didn’t even put it back on the lead.”

Miss Tennant continued: “I started screaming at the top of my voice for help. Two neighbours heard me and came running down the hilltop and helped me carry him in to a van and rushed me to the vets.”

She said that the vets thought Liquorice would be okay, despite the severity of the wounds to his chest and legs.

Around 10 minutes after arriving at the vets another couple brought in their dog after it suffered a similar attack nearby by the same dog. The couple told Miss Tennant the pit bull “already had blood around its mouth”.

Miss Tennant returned home and received the devastating news on Sunday that Liquorice needed to put down as he was “in so much pain” and his body had swollen up so much. She said: “He was not just a dog, he was my friend. To lose an animal so tragically and see them go through that much pain – it’s traumatic to have witnessed.”

Speaking about what Liquorice meant to her, Miss Tennant said: “It’s the simple things. He was a rescue dog and he followed me everywhere. He went to bed with me every night.

"I was so attached to him. It feels like I’ve lost a child.”

Miss Tennant added that her partner Carl is also “devastated” by Liquorice’s death. She said: “Our lives revolved around the dog. We wouldn’t even put him in a kennel to go on holiday. He would come everywhere with us.

"It was the most beautiful thing in the world and it’s been snatched away. I get that they don’t live forever but for him to go through what he did is just cruel.”

Miss Tennant said she has kept in touch with the owners of the other dog that was attacked and reported the incidents to the police.

Anyone with information can contact West Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting the reference number ‘0506 03/12’.