A FAMILY have told of their horror after their beloved pet dog was pecked to death by a flock of killer SEAGULLS.
Mum-of-four Emily Vincent says she and her children have been left traumatised at finding their Yorkshire Terrier Roo left savaged in the back garden.
Roo suffered a wound to his head and brain damage after the attack by the Herring gulls, which are believed to have been protecting their nest.
And devastated Emily told how her terrified three-year-old Jace witnessed the bloodbath.
She said: “Jace was with Roo in the garden and then all of a sudden Jace started screaming Roo is bleeding.
“I ran into the kitchen and saw Roo lying on his side and there was blood everywhere. He had managed to run indoors and then collapsed.
“Blood was coming out of his head. It was like a murder scene.
“I couldn’t get any sense out of Jace initially but then he kept saying, ‘The big bird has got sharp teeth’.”
The eight-year-old pet was rushed to the vet but had to be put down after failing to respond to treatment.
Emily is now so frightened of the birds that she won’t let Jace or her other kids — one-year-old Jessie, Jasmine, aged nine, and Jade, 14 — out alone in case they are attacked too.
The mum added: “Jace has been totally traumatised and randomly bursts out crying. I have not stopped crying and now I’ve reached the angry stage.
“It could have been my child that was hurt and there is nothing I can do about it.
“My other two dogs are too scared to go into the garden and Jace is not himself.”
Emily, of St Columb Minor, Cornwall, tried to contact the council and have the nest destroyed, but was told the animals were protected.
She said: “When we got back from the vets, I took pictures of the blood and contacted the council to find out what rights I had about getting rid of the nest.
“I could not get a straight answer from anyone but I was eventually told the seagulls are protected and that I must leave the nest alone.
“There should be more done to protect people and their pets. Roo was like another child to me.
“The whole family is grieving. It has been horrific.
“We will now not let the children or the dogs out in the garden unless we are with them.”
In May we told how a pet Chihuahua was killed by gulls in Devon.