A tiny puppy is lucky to be alive after he was shaken around "like a ragdoll" by two XL American Bully dogs in a park.
Four-month-old border collie Max was taking a walk with owner Mehdi in Gladstone Park, north west London, when he was pounced on by the huge Bully-type breeds.
The XL dogs launched a vicious attack on Max, with the terrifying ordeal leaving him with a collapsed lung, a broken rib, and stitches to his groin.
Despite being on leads, Mehdi said the dogs weren't able to be restrained properly, with the owner shouting "danger" as they approached.
Mehdi spoke of his terror at seeing Max violently shaken by the dogs, and claims he has since been left with a £7,500 vet's bill.
"The owner started shouting ‘danger, danger!’ as he saw Max coming over," Mehdi told MyLondon.
He added: "Next thing I know Max is being bitten with the intention of not submitting but actually killing. It was shaking him like a rag doll, from left to right very violently."
Mehdi immediately ran over to help but was also scared for his own safety.
"If you look at the dogs close up, they have a massive neck and are all muscle. I was trying to save Max but at the same time I was afraid that the dog might bite me."
Despite several others trying to intervene, the pitbull only let go of Max when its owner bit the dog's ear and it released its jaw.
Mehdi was left "shocked and relieved" as he rushed Max off to the vets, where he was kept in intensive care for three days.
Since being discharged, Max is "physically resting all day and can’t do much".
He subsequently filed a police report with Metropolitan Police and has launched a fundraiser to help with Max's vet's bill.
"I don’t think the council is doing enough [about dangerous dogs]," he said.
"It could implement more patrols and inspect the owners of big dogs, but more needs to be done at a higher level."
Anton Georgiou, a councillor in Brent, said: "I was horrified when I was sent the video of the dog attack that took place in Gladstone Park last week.
"I’m glad Max is doing better now, but things could really have ended very differently had his owner and others not intervened in the way that they did.
"The viciousness of the attack once again highlights how dangerous these XL bully breeds are."
Both the ownership and breeding of pit bulls, originally bred to bait large animals such as bulls and bears, are banned in the UK under the Dangerous Dogs Act, 1991, however, slight variations of the breed, such as XL Bullies are not covered by the legislation.
A spokesperson for Brent Council said: "This is a horrific incident and we wish Max a speedy recovery.
"Dogs should always be under the control of the person walking them in the park and if they cannot be kept under control off lead, then they need to be on a lead. Incidents of dangerous dogs need to be reported to the police, which we understand was done in this instance."
The Met Police meanwhile said it was investigating the incident.
A spokesperson said: "It was reported that a dog was dangerously out of control in a public place and that it attacked another dog. There has been no arrest and enquiries continue."
To make a donation to Max's vets fee click here.
