An owner and her family have been left petrified to walk their dog again after it was viciously attacked by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

On Wednesday at about 6.30pm Shelley Owens was walking her dog Coco, along with her nine-year-old nephew Ethan, in the Wepre Park area of Connah’s Quay when a Staffie attacked her three-year-old dog.

Mrs Owens, of Connah’s Quay, saw the dog running towards Coco, a Chihuahua/Pug cross, in an orange harness, which she had been told before meant that the dog was a danger to other dogs.

So she quickly grabbed Coco and held her in her arms to protect her but the Staffie continued to leap at Coco and tried to attack.

Shelley held onto her dog “as much as she could” and tried to stop the Staffie but it grabbed Coco out of the mum-of-two’s arms and viciously attacked her.

According to Shelley, after around 10 minutes the male owner “just came out of nowehere shouting ‘no, no’ ” and had to pull his dog’s mouth open to release Coco, who then ran away as fast as she could despite been severely injured.

She said: ”I ended up telling my nephew to look away because there was nothing I could do.

“The Staffie was just flinging her around. I thought she was dead.

” She went limp and it looked like she wasn’t breathing while the dog was attacking her.

“I was just screaming ‘please just save my baby’.

“The vets have had to put drains in her head and she’s had to be all stitched up.

“She’s doing OK at the moment and we’re going to pick her up later.

“The owner hasn’t been in contact or come forward.

“We’ve had more than 1,800 shares on the Facebook post we put on and so many people have said their dogs have been attacked in the area.

“Some have even mentioned a Staffie of a similar description attacking their dog.

“When Coco ran I thought she was running off to die. I didn’t even say anything to the owner at the time because I just wanted to know if she was OK.

“I’m still in shock. Wepre Park is where me and Coco always go. I walk her there everyday unless I’m working late. It’s our place to go to.

“I’ve lived nearby all my life and I even take my kids there but I won’t be going now. I’m too scared.”

Shelley wanted to thank the Grange Vets in Mold where she took Coco after the attack and all those who helped her at the time of the incident including Chloe Brown who stayed with the family until she knew Coco was OK.

She said daughters Keira and Pheobe, aged 13 and 10, have also been “hysterical” and just want to have Coco home safe because she means so much to the family.

“I just wanted to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Shelly added.

“If this dog does go regularly to Wepre Park it needs to have a muzzle or there needs to be a way other dogs can be protected from it.

”Apparently there was also a St Bernard attacked by a Staffie earlier that day.

“It’s just scary and it could attack anyone.

“My nephew was standing right next to the dog and he was petrified but so brave and amazing to help us and try and stop it hurting Coco.

“If it wasn’t for my nephew, Chloe and some young lads on bikes who helped I just don’t know what I would have done.”