A great grandmother has spoken of how she wrestled  to save the life of her beloved Chihuahua from the jaws of a dog she has likened to a wolf.

Tina Hussien, 64, who suffers with ill health including arthritis jumped on the dog’s back and even tried to bite it to get it to release her ‘baby’.

The large white dog which the 64-year-old  believes is an Akita breed, only released her dog Diesel when she punched it in the face.

Tina says she feared Diesel was dead but the poor little dog had fainted because his lead had become tightly wrapped around her body as the attacking dog turned him over and over in its mouth.

The blood stained Chihuahua who is seven this week (pictured) is ‘lucky to be alive’ said vets who treated a series of puncture wounds around his neck.

Diesel escaped internal injuries believes Tina because he was wearing a winter coat but is on a course of antibiotics and pain killers which has landed Tina with a vet’s bill of over £200.

Tina who describes Diesel, as being her therapy dog and her  ‘reason for getting up in the morning’ is asking for witnesses or anyone with information on the owner or the dog to come forward.

She is also calling for tighter laws on dog ownership and said: “When will dog on dog attacks be taken seriously. Not only has this left me with a huge vet bill but a traumatised dog. Will we have to wait for these dogs to kill or maim a human child before police action is taken on these horrific dog on dog attacks?”

The former job centre worker who suffered bruises and cuts to her knees during the struggle said: “I had to wrestle a wolf to get my little dog who is 3.7 kilograms out of this 130 to 200 pound huge dog’s mouth. He was absolutely shaking the life out my dog. I had to fight for my dog’s life. It was horrific, and both my dog and I are traumatised.”

Diesel had just been given the all clear after having cruciate ligament surgery which meant he had been on cage rest for eight weeks because a plate was put in his leg.

Tina had taken him to the park in a pram as he was only allowed to have short lead walks .

She said: “I took him out in a pram and let him go for a pee and it wasn’t even a heartbeat when this thing came around the corner and just took him.

“There was no body language. There was no sign there was no sound. There was nothing. It was like a stealth thing. I saw it out the corner of my eye, Diesel looked up and before I could take a breath the dog had my dog in its mouth. I was screaming. The pram, my glasses, all my stuff went flying. There was a young guy who passed me a couple of seconds earlier. He came running back. I think people thought it might have been human because I’m screaming ‘my baby my baby it’s killing my baby’. 

The woman whose dog it was, I screamed at her ‘that’s my baby, he’s killing my baby’ and she said ‘of course darling. Of course It’s your baby’.

“ She was just standing there. When I got Diesel out of the dog’s mouth she then straddled her dog and kissed the  dog on the head and put her hands over its eyes.”

The woman asked for Tina’s number and offered to drive her to the vets but given the women’s lack of control of her dog coupled with her odd behaviour and with Diesel bleeding – Tina put him back in the pram and took him to Mark Nelson’s vets where she collapsed.

Tina added: “What If I had taken my toddler out of pram at that moment? I have got a three-year-old great grandson, what  if it was him that I’d just taken out?”

She describes the dog as being ‘pure white’  and looking as though it had ’black eye liner’ with the owner being older, of slight build, short, with short blonde bobbed hair and carrying a light blue plastic muzzle.

The attack happened around 11.30am  in Grangewood Park on Friday November 5 on the pathway in front of the sunken garden. 

Tina, who is calling for a change to the law making it mandatory for dog owners to be licensed and have insurance added: “They wouldn’t let someone drive a car with no insurance or no driving licence around the streets. These dogs are  like weapons, in the wrong people’s hands.”

A similar dog was involved in an attack in Crystal Palace Park last summer where a dog was killed and there have been reports of other attacks.

If you witnessed the attack or know the dog or owner ring 101 quoting the crime reference number: 3933982/21 or freephone Crimestoppers  0800 555 111.