Two "unpleasant" chihuahuas have been branded "Mexican hooligans" in a town where they have ganged up to attack a burly ex-police German Shepherd dog.
Residents in Corsham, Wiltshire, have complained of the two dogs that may be small but have shown a snappy temperament and are blamed for "ganging up" on other pets.
The local council have received several reports about the dogs being aggressive.
During one incident an ex-police dog German Shepherd was attacked by the "unpleasant" chihuahuas.
Another resident says he was walking his "two 65lb dogs" when he turned onto a street and saw "two little chihuahuas" run straight at them.
One local, Dr Jeffrey O'Dwyer, labelled them "bloody Mexican hooligans".
Ruth Hopkinson, the Lib Dem Councillor for Corsham Pickwick and chair of Corsham Town Council, says that the dogs have been reported to her.
The councillor explained: "I got a call from a resident who'd had a very unpleasant encounter with a couple of dogs in the high street where they were off-leash.
"They were little dogs. The man who called up has an ex-police dog, he's a German Shepherd, so a big dog.
"There were two unpleasant chihuahuas who attacked the German Shepherd, so the size of a dog is no reflection on their aggressiveness.
"Apparently, it's not the first time they have behaved in an aggressive fashion.
"They weren't leashed, and the owner thought they're only little, they're only friendly. But you have to be really careful."
Another local took to Twitter to report his encounter with the pair.
The council is also worried about local livestock.
Ms Hopkinson emphasised on social media: "If in a lambing field please keep to the paths and your dog on a leash. The dogs may just be 'playing', but that's not how the sheep see it.
"When they're spooked, the ewe and lamb can become separated and (because they're not very bright creatures) they can't find each other, and it is leading to lamb deaths.
"What is happening is that people are just taking their dogs off the leash and letting them do whatever.
"Obviously, in lambing season we've got little ones, ewes and they're all flighty animals, and I wouldn't say that these dogs are necessarily worrying the sheep and biting their ankles and that sort of thing.
"It's more that they're just running wild and spooking the sheep - they go in one direction, the lambs go in another and apparently they sometimes find it difficult to find each other and the lambs die."
