A community is “living in fear” after an escaped dog mauled a Chihuahua to death in the street.

Jacky Edwards, of Larkspur Road, Chatham, has relived the moment her beloved pet was killed in front of her by a Staffordshire bull terrier which had escaped from a garden.

The 75-year-old had just started her evening walk with brother and sister Chihuahuas Sonny and Cher when the attack happened.

She was left cradling her “baby” in the street after the dog grabbed it and shook it “until its neck broke”.

She told KentOnline: “It just came out of nowhere. He came around the corner and started running towards Cher and grabbed her and started shaking her violently by the head.

“Cher was screaming. Then it broke her neck.”

She said the dog, which had no collar or lead and was on its own, then started heading towards her other Chihuahua, but luckily Sonny ran free and the Staffy headed in the opposite direction.

Jacky, who had had the Chihuahuas for nine years, said neighbours got her a chair, some water and a blanket to wrap around Cher and she just sat and cried.

“I was traumatised,” she told KentOnline. “Cher was my baby. It’s just so lucky he didn’t get Sonny too.

“I was just cradling my baby and sobbing. Those dogs are my life. They are part of the family.”

Jacky said Cher’s brother Sonny was left “puzzled” and pacing around the garden.

“He was very withdrawn,” she said. “Cher was normally the barker but he has started barking and I wonder if he is calling for her.”

The grandmother said she called the police, who took details, and the dog was seized from a house nearby.

A police spokesman confirmed officers had responded to reports a dog had fatally injured another dog while in public in Larkspur Road, Chatham.

The spokesman continued: “Officers attended and a dog was seized. Following an investigation the owner of the dog was issued with a Community Protection Warning which contained conditions which must be upheld by the suspect and any breach would make them liable to criminal charges.”

The conditions were that the Staffy should not be unattended; should be kept on a lead and muzzled when in public; and must be “within a secured garden”.

Police have been unable to confirm to KentOnline whether the seized dog has been returned to its owner.

“The whole community is in lockdown because of these dogs…”

Jacky said since the incident, exactly six weeks ago, the owner has obtained two more similar dogs.

She says they are often spotted roaming around the neighbourhood on their own.

“The whole community is in lockdown because of these dogs,” she said. “People have doorbell footage of them coming up to their doors.

“People are living in fear. It’s disgraceful that more is not being done. The person should not be allowed to own these dogs.”

It is an offence to be the owner of a dog dangerously out of control, under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

“If you know your dog is particularly jumpy, anxious or has a tendency to bite, keep it on a lead when you take it out and consider using a muzzle…”

In July, a man from Lynsted appeared in court after a Cane Corso killed two Yorkshire terriers.

In June last year, Kent Police released advice to owners after a spate of dog-related incidents in the county.

It came after a dog died and two people were injured after another canine reportedly became out of control in Garlinge, near Margate.

It reminded people that they had a duty to “both their dog and the public to keep their pet under control at all times”.

Owners should “ensure gardens are safe and your dog cannot easily escape, and manage your dog when someone calls at your home”, it said.

The advice concluded: “If you know your dog is particularly jumpy, anxious or has a tendency to bite, keep it on a lead when you take it out and consider using a muzzle.”