A family have been left distraught after their beloved pet had to be put down following an "unprovoked" attack by three "uncontrollable" dogs.
Dylan Nash's grandfather was walking Frankie last Sunday, their 15-year-old Cavalier King Charles, and bumped into a teenager with three dogs.
According to the 26-year-old, his grandfather was on his typical route with Frankie, who was off lead.
One of the dogs, described as "a mixed breed of Terrier", then escaped its owner's grasp and attacked Frankie, who was part blind and deaf, WalesOnline reports.
Dylan said: "My grandfather was walking Frankie off lead as he was a well natured dog, friendly and well known in the area.
"They stopped for Frankie to have a drink and that's when he spotted this young lad walking his three dogs - he said he could visibly see these three dogs pulling the owner.
"Maybe they were excited or maybe they knew what was going to happen.
"The owner got parallel to my grandfather and one of the dogs got free, that's when it attacked Frankie. My grandfather was obvioulsy trying to protect Frankie by kicking the other dog away and then the young boy started shouting at my grandfather."
Dylan's grandfather claimed that the "young boy" shouted abuse at him for not having Frankie on a lead as he came over to retrieve his dog when they were by the Glynrheddyn pub near Taff Street in Ferndale.
Dylan added: "The owner of the three dogs ran over to get the one that got loose, but brought the other two with him and then all three of them were attacking Frankie - my grandfather and even the owner were kicking them off Frankie.
"My grandfather couldn't do anything because there was three dogs versus one and he's 82 years old. Frankie was able to get away and he ran home."
Dylan added that his grandfather phoned his grandmother to tell her what had happened and warn her as to what state Frankie would be in.
Dylan said: "My grandmother came out and saw Frankie running before collapsing at the steps. No dog owner should witness that. My grandfather caught up but he wasn't able to pick Frankie up - a lovely lady who lived quite close picked him up and brought him into the house."
The grandparents took Frankie to the vets but due to his severe injuries, they had to make the difficult decision to put Frankie down.
Dylan said: "It would of been unfair to keep Frankie alive with those injuries at his age. It's really not fair that something like this happened.
"My dog shouldn't have been butchered - murdered - because a boy couldn't handle his dogs." He added: "Why was this young boy allowed to walk these three dogs when at least one of them is ill-tempered?"
Dylan said Frankie had been a lifeline for his grandparents, by keeping them company - especially through lockdown - and had given them a reason to go for daily walks and socialise with the community.
He described Frankie as "an absolute saint of a dog, loving and a bit dopey" with the family constantly laughing at his antics. Dylan said that only last week his grandfather was forced to jump into a river because Frankie got stuck.
He added: "Everyone that met him said how lovely he was and were able to pet and stroke him. I loved him - a lot of people did.
"I will always have fond memories of him, while my grandparents' last memory of him is being butchered and torn to pieces - that's not what their final memory should be. That's what upsets me more than anything.
"They had Frankie for 15 years, that's a big part of life, and that's just been torn away from them. A dog is your best friend, I've just lost mine and they've lost their pride and joy - it's really unfair."
The family are appealing for the community's help in identifying the dogs who attacked Frankie on Sunday, November 13, and their owner.
In a Facebook statement, Dylan wrote: "I wonder if the people of Ferndale can help me... My family dog Frankie was attacked at around 11:30am this morning by 3 dogs in the area of Taff street by the Glynrheddyn. My elderly grandfather witnessed this brutal attack on Frankie and, as a result of the attack, Frankie had to be put down.
"My grandfather got verbally assaulted by the owner who appeared to be around 15-years-old and could not control the three dogs that were with him.
"The dogs appeared to be a mixed breed of Terrier and something else (grandfather could not recall as he was too shaken up) the dogs appeared to be smaller than a staff. Please help me find the owner and dogs to get some justice for my absolutely amazing dog and my grandparents. RIP Frankie you were the bestest friend."
He added: "The community response has been overwhelming and amazing. I've had so many messages and people have shared the post over 1,500 times - I don't even know that many people. We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone."
The incident is being treated as a crime by South Wales Police.
If you have information on the incident, you can contact South Wales Police quoting reference number 2200384492. The force have been contacted for comment.
