Mum watches in horror as support dog for son with disabilities is killed in savage attack caught on CCTV

The emotional support dog was mauled to death

Jane Bird, 48, and her son Nicholas, 15, were walking their dog when it was brutally attacked and killed (Collect/PA Real Life) (PA)

A mum is seeking justice after the support dog of her 15-year-old son with disabilities was brutally mauled to death before their eyes by what appeared to be a Rottweiler and he now “relives” the traumatic episode at the same time every night.

Jane Bird, 48, from Scunthorpe, and her son Nicholas were only a few minutes into their evening dog walk in February when their pet Yorkie Jack Russell cross, named Ruby, was viciously attacked and mauled to death.

Nicholas suffers from paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS), a disorder which is triggered by a faulty immune system and can cause a range of symptoms including anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and learning disabilities.

The 15-year-old punched and kicked the dog to try to stop the attack but Ruby, who was Nicholas’ “best friend” and an “emotional support dog” for him, had to be put to sleep after the vet later discovered her kidney and spleen had been ruptured.

They said the dog which attacked Ruby looked like a Rottweiler and just “appeared out of nowhere” before latching on to her and lifting her into the air, causing severe internal injuries.

CCTV footage of the attack was captured by one of the family’s neighbours – in it Jane can be heard shouting “get it off” and repeatedly calling for help.

Jane, who lives with her husband, Wayne Bird, 57, a steel worker, and her four sons, Alex, 20, Lewis, 17, Mathew, 15, and his twin brother Nicholas, said nobody has come forward to apologise or help cover their £2,000 vet bill.

Nicholas and Ruby were ‘best friends’ and she would sleep on his bed (Collect/PA Real Life) (PA)

She has reported the incident to Humberside Police and Lincolnshire Council, who have issued the owner with a warning and advice.

“She was his emotional support dog,” Jane told PA Real Life.

“Ruby was his best friend and she was there for him through thick and thin.

“Having to make the decision to put her to sleep was just awful really.”

Jane and Nicholas took their two dogs, Ruby and Buddy, out for an evening walk at around 9.30pm on February 12 2024.

They decided to take a shortcut because Jane needed to pick up her elder son Lewis from the gym later that evening.

It was not the first time they had taken the shortcut, a small pedestrian path in a residential area.

“It was a quiet evening and there was nobody about,” said Jane.

As the pair made their way down the path, a large dog, which they described as a rottweiler, suddenly appeared.

“We had no time to react whatsoever and it just lunged straight onto Ruby,” she said.

“Nicholas immediately tried to break up the attack by punching and kicking the dog.”

But Jane was terrified the vicious hound would maul Nicholas, who was 14 at the time, and so told him to take their other cross breed dog Buddy home.

“I continued to scream for help because the dog just wasn’t letting go and Ruby was yelping,” Jane continued.

A man appeared from the property but Jane said he did not intervene until neighbours arrived with a flashlight.

“It was a big, strong dog, which we believe was a rottweiler,” she added.

“It was lifting her in the air and causing internal injuries which we only found out later.”

The dog finally loosened its grip on Ruby when the man started shouting, but it was too little too late.

Nicholas playing with their two dogs, Ruby and Buddy before the attack (Collect/PA Real Life) (PA )

Jane immediately rushed Ruby to an emergency vet service, wrapped in a towel from one of the neighbours.

“Straight away the vet said I need to warn you, this is serious,” she said.

“Her injuries are severe but we’ll do our best to patch her up.”

It took around three hours for the vet to stabilise Ruby and prepare her for surgery.

But the extent of Ruby’s injuries soon became clear.

She had been bitten multiple times with such force that it had torn through her organs.

“It was about 1.45am when she called to say we’ve opened her up and her injuries are too severe to carry on operating,” she said.

“Her kidney was torn in half and her spleen had been ruptured, so she said it would cruel to carry on.

“‘Do you consent to putting her to sleep while she’s under sedation, because it’s the kindest thing to do?’

“Obviously we were completely mortified at that point, because we had not known how bad it was.”

Her son Nicholas is still struggling to come to terms with what happened.

“Since the attack he’s just not been able to engage,” she said.

“She slept on his bed every night and didn’t really leave his side.

“The aftermath for us is that every evening, at the time of the attack, Nicholas is reliving it.

“It’s just really traumatic for him.”

Jane had been warned that the operation would cost £2,000 regardless of the outcome, which her husband, Wayne paid on his credit card.

She said nobody has come forward to apologise or offer any compensation.

“We have had no contact at all,” said Jane.

“They haven’t come to see if we need any help or anything like that.

“We feel like it’s really unfair that something like this can happen and it seems like no-one is being held to account.

“They get to keep their dog, whether it’s aggressive or not.”

The family have now launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help them pay off the bill.

Jane said Nicholas relives the terrifying attack 'every evening' (Collect/PA Real Life) (PA)

“When we look back at the CCTV, you can see the dog was alerted to our presence about 20 seconds before we got to the gate,” said Jane.

“It must have heard the leads rattling and us talking, and then as soon as we approached it just pounced.

“It knew we were there, but we couldn’t see it because it was dark.”

To support Jane and her family visit: www.gofundme.com/f/pay-for-emergency-vet-ills-for-rubys-surgery

Jane contacted Humberside Police about the incident and has provided a statement to them, but was told it was a civil matter.

She has also reported the incident to the dog warden service at Lincolnshire Council, who confirmed they have issued a “warning/advice letter to the dog owner”.