A DISTRAUGHT family has told how their beloved French Bulldog was snatched through their fence from their back garden and mauled to death by their neighbour's dangerous "urban hunter" dog.
Matthew Viney and partner Sarah Jane Bates, from Burgess Hill, Sussex, said they were just sitting down to have their tea when little Calvin, a white Frenchie, was taken from their enclosed back garden and savaged by out-of-control Brock, a Bull Lurcher.
Hearing a commotion, their son James, 17, managed to grab Calvin from Brock's clutches but the little dog's injuries were too severe and he died later at the vet's.
Tragically police cannot do anything as dog-on-dog attacks are not viewed as a crime.
The heartbroken family is now terrified that the dog could attack another pet – or even a child – and have called on their local MP and the Prime Minister to change the law around dog attacks.
Tearful Sarah-Jane said: "We'd had Calvin since a pup, he was a lovely dog, he loved cuddles, loved going out for walks. He'd do zoomies around the house and loved being chased.
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"He was a big personality in our family and it's left a massive hole.
"It's really tough I don't think I've processed it all yet, I just get very upset and teary.
"At first the police said they could prosecute but now they've turned around and said they can't – it feels like they don't give a damn.
"It's no longer a criminal matter because it was a dog-on-dog attack, but I don't think that is right, a life is a life."
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Reliving 22-month-old Calvin's final moments, Sarah-Jane said: "We were sitting down for dinner and he wanted to outside for the toilet, I checked on him and he looked like he'd finished so I turned back round for him to follow me back in and sat down to finish my tea.
"Then I heard this horrible commotion, I rushed out to the back garden and noticed there was a massive hole in our fence.
"What had happened was Brock had caught site of Calvin through a tiny gap in the fence and launched himself against it and pulled him back through the fence into his garden.
"I could hear the neighbour shouting 'He's got him, he's got him Sarah, get him off'. I could hear Calvin screaming and crying.
"I shouted at James to go around there and he ran around and saw them in the back of their back garden behind the kennels and their son was punching Brock on the head and the nose to try to get him to release Calvin but he just carried on with the vicious attack.
"James managed to pick up Calvin from the floor and passed him to me and we took him home and bathed him. We weren't sure of the extent of the injuries at the time because he was covered in muck but he was bleeding a lot.
"It's awful. I noticed there were lots of puncture wounds and a lump on his side."
They rushed Calvin to two emergency vets, and eventually the PDSA who took him into surgery and tried to save him in a four-hour operation.
"Because the injuries were so horrific they had to get different specialists in to work on him," she said.
"They found very bad damage to his liver, 60cm of his intestines had to be taken away, he had heart failure. He crashed once or twice during the surgery but came through.
"Then the vet was on the phone to me telling me about his injuries and an aftercare plan and while she was talking to me they had to start doing CPR on him and he died. I was heartbroken.
"He fought to the end. He wanted to come home and put up a good fight but the injuries were just too severe."
Bull Lurchers have been dubbed "urban hunters"and "ultimate killers" because they are bred for hunting and combine a Greyhound's speed with the fighting ability of an American Pitbull.
One inspector at the Scottish SPA told the Daily Record the breed are the "ultimate fighting dog" and are "genetically programmed to kill everything that moves".
Matthew and Sarah have reported the incident to their housing association and Sussex Police but neither agency has been able to take action.
They are now in touch with their local MP who is writing to the Police Commissioner and are calling on the Prime Minister to change the law.
Matthew added: "The neighbour's dog is a risk to others. They are bred to hunt, bred to kill.
"Our grandkids come and stay over for the holidays, what happens if he gets a glimpse of them, it doesn't bear thinking about.
"Most dogs when they have an argy-bargy, when one stops and becomes submissive, the other one does too.
"Calvin can't fight back, Frenchie's have flat mouths and are not designed for fighting.
"But the other dog just went on and on. There were four chunks of his liver found in his stomach area – that was the ferocity of the attack.
"Puncture wounds, cracked ribs, that poor dog went through so much and the neighbours have just sent us a text message saying they are sorry. That was it.
"They said they would pay for the vet's fees but we've had nothing so far, they're just burying their head in the sand.
"If my grandkids are out there and he grabs one of those, he could kill them, then something would be done. But it shouldn't have to get to that point first.
"If it can do that much damage to Calvin what damage could it do to a child.
"It's an aggressive dog and when his let out of his cage he comes and belts himself at the fence and barks.
"That's a kick in the teeth because Calvin is no longer here but we have to hear their dog barking and bashing against the fence.
"We've had to have the fence replaced twice because their dog chews it and breaks it.
"We believe it is a dangerous dog and it should be dealt with as a dangerous dog but no one seems to be willing to do anything."
Sarah said she is determined to make sure no other pet owners have to go through the same situation.
"It feels as if Calvin doesn't matter and I don't want any other family to have to go through this," he said.
"I think the law should change so that dog-on-dog attacks are criminal.
"How long will it before he does this again to another dog or a person?
"I just believe that people's pets, dogs or cats should be protected in their own spaces.
"If we could get the law changed just a little bit so other people don't have to experience this I'd feel I'd helped Calvin a little bit."
A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: "We are aware of this tragic incident and acknowledge the distress it has caused.
"We have spoken to the informants and advised them that the incident did not fall under any criminal legislation, however, advice was given should they wish to pursue a civil claim."
The housing association which owns both houses also told The Sun it was investigating the incident.
A Clarion spokesperson said: “We were sorry to hear about what had happened. As soon as we became aware of the incident we started our own investigation into the situation and once concluded we will discuss the next steps with all residents involved.
“We encourage any resident with concerns about dangerous pets to contact their local police force in the first instance and any reports we receive will be investigated as they could constitute a breach of tenancy.”
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The couple is now raising money on Justgiving to help pay for Calvin's vet bills.
The owners of Brock did not respond to requests for comment.
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