A woman and her pet have been left traumatised after being attacked by a pack of dogs.

Laura Curd was out on her regular morning walk with her Whippet Willow in Gunpowder Park when five Staffordshire Bull Terriers suddenly set upon them.

Willow was nearly killed and her 44-year-old owner had her fingers crushed when one of the animals latched onto her hand.

All five dogs were being walked by a man without collars or leads at around 7am on October 1.

Mrs Curd said: “I saw him coming with the dogs and he shouted ‘my dogs are ok’.

“I moved right off of the path because my dog is nervous. Before I knew it the dogs were on her, they were like a pack of hyenas.

“They were ripping her to pieces.”

The man, believed to be in his 50s, began punching his dogs and kicking them to try and get them off but Mrs Curd says that nothing he did could stop the attack.

She said: “In the end he picked my dog up upside down and she had one hanging off of her head and one on her leg.

“It was the most frightening experience of my life. I was petrified.”

When the dogs were finally dragged away, Mrs Curd and her friend had to walk almost a mile home before rushing Willow to the vets.

The beloved family pet underwent four hours of surgery, costing the family almost £3000.

They were later told that it was the jacket that the dog was wearing that saved her life.

Since the ordeal, Mrs Curd of Godwin Close in Sewardstone, has had nightmares about the attack and has been unable to work.

Despite her attempts to have the man caught, Mrs Curd feels as though police are doing little to find him.

“I’ve seen him in the park a few times,” She added.

“I have written to the police, phoned them, but they don’t seem interested at all.

“What if it is a child next time?”

The Guardian has contacted the police.