A HORRIFIED dog walker had to wrestle a bull terrier to the ground after it savaged his beloved greyhound. The 33-year-old owner who does not want to be named for fear of reprisals, said last night that he had been terrified in the struggle in which his dog Mossy was fortunate to survive.

A HORRIFIED dog walker had to wrestle a bull terrier to the ground after it savaged his beloved greyhound.

The 33-year-old owner who does not want to be named for fear of reprisals, said last night that he had been terrified in the struggle in which his dog Mossy was fortunate to survive.

He said he had been walking Mossy in Braintree when he noticed a white Staffordshire bull terrier run towards them, around 7.30pm on Tuesday night.

The mobile telephone engineer said: "At first I was half-expecting the owner to be with it, but then it got closer. Then another one appeared, both barking furiously.

"Normally, they have a bit of a growl and a sniff, but the white one just ran up and lunged straight for Mossy's neck.

"I let go of the lead and just tried to get it off, kicking it and screaming.

"That managed to release his jaw from Mossy, but it kept going. So I grabbed hold of it and wrestled to the floor and just sat on it."

At that point, a neighbour, who heard the noise, came out. The engineer shouted at her to take hold of Mossy and get her inside, away from the terriers.

"Then the terrier reared up at me again while the other one just kept barking. I kicked it some more and they ran off," he said.

He took Mossy straight to the vet's who operated on him the next day. "The vet said that as he peeled back the skin from the bite, you could see Mossy's jugular – another inch and he'd have been killed," the man said.

"I've only had him two weeks – we adopted him as he was an ex-racer. He's got the quietest temperament.

"There's a lot of elderly people around here walking their small dogs. I don't know where these terriers come from, but they had no collars – their owners should be a bit more responsible."

A spokesman for Braintree police said that the incident was being investigated and appropriate action would be taken.

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA urged owners whose dogs had known behavioural problems to keep them on a lead or muzzled.