A POOLE woman was left in shock when two dogs savaged her chihuahua on Sandbanks Beach.

Lorraine Zavadil, who lives in Canford Cliffs, said she was walking four-year-old Hugo along the beach at around 7.30pm on August 5 this year when she passed the dogs near the barbecue area.

She said the pair, which looked like "lurchers or Italian greyhounds", growled at the chihuahua as they passed by, at that time on leads.

"Five minutes later the two dogs came racing back towards us off the lead and jumped on Hugo," she said.

"I was so frightened I was screaming like a woman possessed because I thought Hugo was going to be ripped limb from limb.

"The couple came racing back and managed to call their dogs off – they were very apologetic and said it had never happened before.

"I was so shaken I didn’t think to take any details."

Ms Zavadil, 60, now has a veterinary bill of more than £1,000.

Hugo was back at the vets at the beginning of the month and "not doing well", she said.

She said she had reported the incident to the council dog warden but has heard nothing since, and she wants to try and trace the owners at least to persuade them to muzzle the dogs and prevent prevent any repeat occurrence.