AN OAP suffered a heart attack and wounds to his hand after pulling his pet dog “from the jaws” of another animal.

Clive Collins, 76, who has also been battling cancer, was talking to a Big Issue seller outside of the Sovereign Shopping Centre in Boscombe when Jack Russell Billy was attacked by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier-type dog.

The other dog was tied to a bench outside of the centre when it pulled out of its collar and grabbed Billy around the neck.Clive, who often uses a wheelchair or a walking frame, leapt to his dog’’s defence.

He said: “I tackled the bull terrier on the floor and I thought that the only way that I could get my dog free was to force my hand into the other dog’s mouth to keep it open to take Billy out of his jaws.

“I’m just getting over cancer and I lost a hearing aid, my bus pass and tore my coat during the incident.

“The other dog’s owner came back and immediately walked away. I never saw them.

“It is irresponsible for a big dog to be tied up to a bench and left by the owner, due to dogs not being allowed into the centre.”

He has since reported the attack, which happened on Christmas Eve at around 12pm, to Dorset Police.

He was taken to Bournemouth Hospital by ambulance to receive treatment for chest pain and a hand injury, where he says he remained for around 12 hours.

“There could be a law that if a dog is out of the house, it should wear a muzzle,” he added.

Clive said that Billy was ‘a bit shaken up’ following the attack, but did not require veterinary treatment.

“He’s well-known in Boscombe. He’s a lovely dog. He hasn’t got a mean bone in his body,” he added.

“When you have a dog, they are like children, so you take the responsibility of them very seriously.”

Witnesses can contact Dorset Police on 101, quoting occurrence number 55170000474.