'I will never get over cruelty that killed my dog'

A pet owner says she is finding it hard to eat or sleep after her dog died following an attack from an unknown intruder.

Evie Ecclestone's Chihuahua Reggie was rushed to a vet after suffering a broken jaw on 29 December, but nothing could be done to save him, and he was put to sleep.

Police have appealed for information about an "unknown person" who entered Ms Ecclestone's back garden on Rising Brook in Stafford at about 16:30 BMT the same day.

"I'm numb, shocked, and can't believe anyone could mean to do this," she said.

She described Reggie as a loving and playful dog who slept on her three-year-old son's bed every night.

On the day he was attacked, she let him out into the garden with her other dog, Paddy, then moments later heard a loud yelp.

"I opened my back door immediately," she said. "Paddy and Reggie were together side by side; it was almost as if Paddy was helping Reggie in.

"Reggie's injuries were bad; his bottom jaw was on his chest, his upper jaw facing to the side. My thoughts were that something or someone had attacked him."

Vets in Penkridge found a jaw fracture too extensive to repair, she said.

"[The vet] ruled out an animal attack; this could only have been caused by blunt force trauma," she said.

She said she would never get over the "cruel and heartbreaking" attack.

"In a matter of seconds we lost a pet that was so much more than a pet. A best friend. My baby," she said.

Staffordshire Police said: "It is believed that the unknown person in the back garden assaulted the dog before leaving the area."

The force is continuing to carry out inquiries in the area and is keen to speak to anyone with information.

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