'This dog needs to be put down': Terrified pet owner tells how he was mauled by a deranged 'XL Bully' who 'escaped from a house' and attacked his puppy in the street – as shocking video shows neighbors desperately trying to tackle it – control animal

This is the horrifying moment a small dog is attacked by a Bully-style mutt, which wags its tail as the desperate owner tries to drag his pet from the beast's jaws.

In terrifying footage, the man is dragged through the residential street as the dog runs free and brutally attacks his black and white puppy.

The shocking scene continued despite neighbors rushing to help – with one even throwing a metal fire pit at the beast in an attempt to drive it away.

The owner, father-of-one Josh Hymas from Mansfield, near Nottingham, claimed the animal escaped from his owners' home before his puppy, Ralph, was attacked.

In the horrific moment the dog pulled him to the ground, the 33-year-old said he thought his dog was dead – and lay on top of him in a desperate bid to avoid being torn to pieces.

The beloved family pet, who is just one year and two months old, is his one-year-old son Hugo's best friend.

Mr Hymas claims even the dog's owner shouted 'kill the dog' as the beast ravaged his pup after the dog jumped a two-metre high fence to escape his home.

He told MailOnline: 'When I jumped on top of Ralph I thought Ralph was already dead. He just went limp in my arms. I thought, “He's just going to kill him,” because he was jerking his head back and forth, back and forth.

“As I stood face down on the curb, I thought if this dog lets go, my face is the closest thing he's going to bite. But all I care about is our little family dog.

'My one-year-old son wouldn't know what to do without him. He's his best friend.

'I'm lucky I didn't take my son with me. You would die for your sons or daughters, and that was exactly what I was willing to do.”

The black and white French Bulldog is walked on a leash as the huge dog sprints into view and immediately clamps its jaws into the defenseless puppy.

In a vain attempt, Mr. Hymas quickly tries to pull his pet out of reach and turn away, but the enormous dog plucks it out of the air.

In a gruesome battle between man and beast, he then tries to wrestle his dog back from the enormous mutt, with a woman in a matching patterned outfit quickly passing by in an attempt to help.

As he is pulled to the ground by the huge dog, others come out of their homes to watch him try to wrestle the small dog from the man's grasp.

He digs in his back legs as he tries to pull him back, pulling Mr. Hymas to the ground.

Another neighbor then tries to help, throwing a metal fire pit at the beige dog and hitting him on the back – but it appears to have little impact.

When he finally manages to break free, he is chased by the Bully-style dog, who evades capture and repeatedly launches himself at the terrified pup – before finally managing to get to safety.

It was eventually pulled away from the house by the woman in the patterned outfit, who dragged it by the collar along the front of the house.

Mr Hymas says he was walking the dog for stress relief when he walked onto the residential street, stopping in front of the house of a friend who was about to tag along with their own puppy.

Luckily, Ralph survived the attack – and he says he was given a big bone to help him recover. Mr Hymas also suffered only cuts and bruises, but he knows it could have been much worse.

He continued, “He's always been great with other dogs, but I think he's afraid of them now.

'I saw the hairs on the other dog's back standing up. I put my hand on the other dog's head to calm and reassure him, but then he put his head between my dog's legs and started growling.

'I hit the dog as much as I could. At one point I held my thumbs in the dog's eyes to try to blind him.

“And then my friend came around the corner. Even the dog's owner shouted, “Kill him!”

'Then my friend hit him with a fire pit thing, he wasn't even fazed by that. My friend had a concrete block when the dog jumped off. I grabbed Ralph as hard as I could and tried to hold him high to keep him away from this dog. I bolted for the door.”

One viewer reacted to the scene with horror, saying: 'What strikes me every time is how much fun they look as they maul another dog or person.

“You see the pure joy of doing exactly what they were bred to do. None of the fear or anger common to other dog attacks.”

The group, shared by regulatory advocates BullyWatchUK, claims the dog is a three-year-old beast who was recently rehomed because his former owner took to social media to beg for a new owner to take him on.

On December 31st, breeding, selling, advertising, rehoming, abandoning and allowing an American Bully XL to roam will be illegal – and anyone without an exemption certificate will be seized by police.

Mr Hymas posted the video on Facebook, saying: 'So I was just minding my own business and then got attacked by this horrible huge dog! My dog ​​did nothing to provoke this other dog!

'He escaped from the house where he lives and attacked me!

'Thankfully this wasn't a child walking his dog, or an elderly person! This dog must be put down!'