A pet owner was horrified after her beloved dog was killed – by SEAGULLS.
Nikki Wayne, 57, found her chihuahua puppy Bella being attacked by the angry birds in her back garden.
She had previously witnessed the gulls dive for Bella and had tried to never let the dog play outside alone.
But tragedy struck when her owner was in the shower and Bella managed to nudge open a slightly ajar door and was killed by the seagulls.
Mum-of-five Nikki, who moved to Honiton, Devon, from Canada a year ago, described Bella as a ‘really playful puppy’ who would always want to roam around the garden.
She said she first noticed the seagulls perched on the roof, peering into the garden at the tiny dog and decided to seek advice.
She said: “I called my vets and they said I should make sure I go out with her every moment she went outside in my back yard.”
In an effort to protect Bella, Nikki would accompany her outside, and was surprised by the brazen nature of the gulls.
She said: “I got really worried about it. They started to swoop down to my face level, brushing me.”
Determined to keep Bella safe, Nikki would not let the dog outside without an escort, and tried to keep the door shut.
However one day when Nikki was taking a shower the door was left ajar, and curious Bella managed to nudge the door open to go play outside.
The seagulls then swooped on Bella, and killed her before she could make it back inside the house.
Nikki says she will never forget the incident, and has now issued warnings to other residents to remain vigilant to prevent another attack.
An RSPCA spokesman said: “This sound like an extremely upsetting incident and our thoughts are, of course, with the dog’s owner.
“Incidents like this are extremely uncommon though, and we do not want dog owners to panic.”
