A pet dog was mauled by a pack of hunting hounds that tore into his legs, back and neck near his family home.
Bullet had to undergo lifesaving treatment to repair his back legs following the gruesome attack in Derry, Northern Ireland.
The Collie-mix was the second dog in 10 weeks to be mauled by the same five lurchers in the Galliagh area, reports Belfast Live.
A stray Golden Labrador who came to be called Bramble was also mauled and left with gaping wounds, needing months of veterinary care.
Derry City and Strabane District Council have imposed control conditions on the lurchers while their investigation is ongoing.
Bullet has undergone multiple surgeries and treatments to save his life and his hind legs following the gruesome attack.
The 12-year-old pet was so badly injured and shocked that vets feared he would not survive the first night in their care and offered to gently put him to sleep.
However, Bullet’s owners felt he should be given the chance so his last moments would not be those filled with terror and pain, but in the comfort of the home he had always known.
"The vets are just amazed by him," they said.
"He's such a special dog, a good family dog and he was not ready to leave us. He's the heart of us.
"Once the vets got him into intensive care and managed to help him through the first night, we knew he had a fighting chance.
“We’ve had Bullet since he was a tiny puppy and he has never given us a moment’s trouble, he’s never been sick or sore, he’d never been in a row or caused any issues.
"He has always been the perfect family dog, strong and gentle, reliable and good natured.
"It’s terrible that he’s facing all this trauma and rehabilitation at the age of almost 13. He has done nothing to deserve it."
The dog attack was captured on video in the early hours of May 5, as five lurcher type dogs worked as a pack biting his legs, groin, neck and back as Bullet lay defenceless on grass near his home.
A man with the lurchers is seen in the video attempting to shield Bullet from the dogs before walking away.
The lurchers were seen unmuzzled and unsecured, as required by law.
Bullet’s owner said: “The police were on the scene very quickly and tried to bandage the worst of the injuries but they indicated to us that they thought Bullet wouldn’t make it.
“He had lost a lot of blood and was in deep shock.
"He couldn’t walk or even get up and if he hadn’t had emergency treatment, he probably would have died because he was in a terrible state.
“We didn’t realise just how bad it was until the bandages were taken off and his hair was clipped away, but the vet said his injuries were very serious and he wasn’t likely to survive the first 24 hours.
"They offered to put him to sleep for us as the kindest thing to do but I couldn’t even contemplate it.
“We said we needed to give him a chance. We know our Bullet, we know he’s quiet but he’s strong and full of love and we felt if he was ready to leave us, he’d go himself.
"But we just didn’t see it in him. We needed to let him make the decisions here."
Bullet's owners said it was "nothing short of a miracle" their pet pooch survived.
They added: "“Some people have told us we should have just had Bullet put to sleep and we wouldn’t have this bill but Bullet is family and we couldn’t give up on him.
The council and the Police Service of Northern Ireland are investigating the attack on Bullet and the previous attack on Bramble.
Derry and Strabane District Council are expected to determine soon if a prosecution is necessary.
In the meantime Bullet’s owners are left facing a vets bill of almost £8,000 with six months more care ahead of him.
Almost £1,000 was initially raised through PayPal donations for the family and now a group of Northern Ireland dog lovers has set up an GoFundMe page to help with any other donations the public can help with.
A vet caring for Bullet said all efforts were being made to treat Bullet and help the family.
The animal expert said: “Bullet is an extraordinary dog and we were very surprised given how serious his injuries were, that he pulled through that first night.
“The speed of him reaching us probably helped because he was on a drip and being given intravenous antibiotics by 8.30am, just an hour or two after he was injured.
“That meant there was little time for infection to set in.
"But when he was stable enough for us to properly examine him we feared the worst, these were some of the worst injuries we’ve seen in a dog attack.
"It was obvious that he had been pulled by his legs in four directions, the other dogs had bitten and grabbed him in his groin, inside his legs, his belly and throat and he had multiple other injuries.
“The skin was pulled and ripped off, he had lost a lot of blood and he was bitten down to the bone in some areas. He has tear injuries, severe bruising, puncture wounds and we could see where the other dogs had literally dragged their teeth across this skin."
The vet added the team did everything they could to get Bullet through the surgery.
Today Bullet is healing remarkably well, according to the animal expert.
He is starting to put a bit of weight on the most seriously injured leg, but he has been dragging it and a wound has developed on the top of his paw so medics will have had to fit him with a boot in the hope that it will heal.
The council said it will make a determination on the most appropriate course of action shortly, following the investigation.
A council spokesperson said: “If it is felt that a prosecution is merited, then a summons will be sent to the court office for service on the defendant.
"Control Conditions have been imposed on the dogs alleged to be responsible for these attacks even though the investigation is still ongoing Under Article 30A of The Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1983.
“Control Conditions have been attached to the dog licence and will also require the dogs to be securely fitted with a muzzle sufficient to prevent them biting any person or animal in a public place.
"As this investigation is ongoing the council is unable to provide any further comment.”
A spokesperson for CVS, the vet group whose staff have been caring for Bullet, said: “We are focused on providing the best possible clinical care for animals.
"In this serious case, our staff were able to provide immediate out-of-hours care to try and ensure the best outcome, and to date we are pleased to see that the patient is making a good recovery.”
