A dog owner has spoken of the moment he flung himself in front of an out-of-control dog in what turned out to be a fruitless attempt to save his beloved pet.

Anthony Wright, a grandfather from Elmswell, suffered hand injuries in the attack in the village which led to his and his wife’s Norfolk Terrier Darcy dying the following day from horrific internal injuries.

The couple, who have been left extremely distressed by the incident and subsequent loss of 18-month-old Darcy, are appealing for the unknown owner of the dog involved to come forward.

The attack happened on Pightle Green on January 11 at about 11.30am and involved a large, longhaired, black dog.

Mr Wright, who is area manager for Sustrans in Suffolk and Norfolk, said: “I don’t wish the dog any harm, but really the dog should be muzzled. If you cannot control the dog it should be muzzled. Next time it could be a child.”

Mr Wright’s dog had been off the lead at the time, but he said he had checked there were no other dogs about. He said the black dog, which was also off the lead, came from the right-hand side.

“I got to Darcy and I covered her with my legs and body. That’s when I got bitten on both hands, in the crossfire of the event really.”

He added: “The guy was very apologetic and said ‘I’m very sorry about this’.”

He said in the rush to get Darcy home and to the vets, he regrettably did not get the man’s details.

Sandra Wright, 69, who used to work in the Laura Ashley shop in Bury St Edmunds, said what had happened was “horrendous,” describing how her husband came home dripping with blood saying their dog had been attacked.

Speaking of the impact of their loss, Mr Wright said the house, in Hawk End Lane, just did not feel the same without Darcy.

“We have both been blubbing wrecks all week. We just look at each other and choke up,” he said.

As well as informing the police of the incident, the couple have been putting up posters around the village in their own attempt to track down the owner of the black dog.

A spokeswoman for Suffolk police said they were investigating the crime and urged people with information to call them on 101.

“We have made local inquiries to try and find the owner in the area,” she said.

The man has been described as white, aged between 40 to 55, with a black moustache, wearing glasses, a trapper hat and a dark blue coat.