A GREYHOUND owner has told of the moment a large Japanese akita dog ran 200 yards and started tearing into his pet.

The greyhound, Mandy, had her flank ripped open and other serious injuries to the side of her neck, in the attack on recreational ground in Dormanstown, near Redcar, east Cleveland, on Monday at about 9pm.

Her owner, David Hannah, 64, said a man claiming to be the owner who had released the animal from its leash then started hitting the akita's head after pulling it off the greyhound.

Mr Hannah, a father-oftwo and a retired steel worker, took Mandy from a rescue centre after learning she had been ill-treated.

The pensioner has cared for the greyhound since November and has spent more than £1,000 on surgery for the dog, with more costs expected.

Mr Hannah, who uses walking sticks, is disabled by severe arthritis and the effects of a serious accident. He walks his two dogs every day.

He said: "It was left off its lead and it must have run 200 yards straight to Mandy, like a bullet. I was just shouting, 'get hold of it, get hold of it'.

"I just focused on my own dog and I was trying to push it off with my feet. The akita was a massive dog - it must have been a good few stone and had a head like a bucket."

The greyhound ran away but thanks to an identity tag, a concerned man who found her was able to call her owner.

Anyone with information isasked to contact PCSO Claire Vodden, of Redcar police, on the nonemergency 101 number or Crimestoppers, on 0800-555-111.