A FURIOUS dog owner has told of the moment her prized pet was “ripped open” by a Rottweiler in a horrifying attack.

Joan Bell, of Outwood Road, has spent £2,434.95 on veterinary treatment to nurse eight-year-old Yorkshire Terrier Bella back to full health.

Bella was being walked by Joan’s son Alan Bell, aged 39, on a public pathway over the canal which links Outwood Road to the back of Asda in Radcliffe at around 6.30pm on September 22.

A Rottweiler guard dog which was not on a lead had escaped from a nearby business premises and ran down the path, jumping on Bella and mauling her.

She was nearly bitten in half by the animal and was left with a huge open wound in her torso as well as collapsed lungs and three broken ribs.

Mrs Bell, aged 58, of Outwood Road, said several businesses which back onto the cut-through use Rottweilers as guard dogs and signs have been put up which say ‘beware dogs roam’ despite it being a public path.

She added: “At first Bella’s injuries were so bad the vets did not know whether she would live.

“The police said they were unable to prosecute because it was a dog-on-dog attack, but the Rottweiler was not on a lead and Bella was.

“She is a tiny dog and is so soft. She stood no chance against that Rottweiler.

“A man came running after the Rottweiler and just said sorry it is not my dog. It has escaped and then put it in a car.

“Bella was lying there in the gutter all open, some of her insides hanging out, and he did not even stop. I was horrified.”

Mrs Bell said Bella, who is currently on medication and is not able to go out for walks, is making a good recovery and will soon be able to have her stitches removed but is now terrified of other dogs.

In an upsetting twist, Alan’s Chihuahua was killed by a Bull Mastiff which was roaming without a lead in Chapelfield last year.

Mrs Bell added: “A lot of people have said they are frightened of using the cut through because several of the businesses have Rottweilers.

“People need to be aware – the worry is that next time it will be a child as many families use the path as a way to and from school.

“If dogs are guard dogs, they should not be allowed to roam on the public pathway.”