Oldest Dog in the U.K. Mauled to Death

The oldest dog in the U.K. died Monday after it was mauled to death by another dog, its owner said.

The 25-year-old Yorkshire terrier named Jack was killed during a morning walk near his home in Hartlepool when a black Lakeland terrier attacked him, the Northern Echo reports.

“The dog just came out of nowhere and grabbed Jack on his side,” Jack’s 70-year-old owner, Ray Bunn, told the newspaper. “I was desperate to get the dog off Jack. I punched it, but it was about three minutes before it let go.”

“I am still in shock,” he added. “We expected Jack to die quietly in his sleep, not in this horrible, violent way.”

Jack was severely injured and succumbed to his injuries on the way to the veterinarian. Authorities are investigating the incident.

“Jack was a part of our family, and we just can’t believe he has gone,” Bunn told the Northern Echo. “He was the oldest dog in the country, and for him to die in this way, as opposed to peacefully in his sleep, is a tragedy.”

[USA Today]