Yesterday the ferocious pitbull had to be pulled off the snout of a German shepherd dog which had been fastened on a chain in its owner's garden, in Border Dell, Devonshire.

And Mr. Kenny Paul, owner of Rusty, the German shepherd, is demanding the pitbull, Assassin, is destroyed.

Witness Ms Janice Swainson said: "This vicious pitbull has been terrorising the area for some time. It is not properly secured.

"We saw it go into Mr. Paul's garden and it attacked the German shepherd which is always tied up properly. The German shepherd was restricted because it was tied up. The pitbull was really tearing it up.'' In fact Rusty appears to have inflicted some damage by fighting back against Assassin. Both dogs had wounds to their faces although Rusty's were more severe.

Ms Swainson said: "There was blood everywhere and Mr. Paul's dog looked a real mess. I called 911 for the Police but it seemed to take ages for them to arrive.

"I am angry that it took the Police so long because this dog could have been attacking a child. We only told them it had attacked the dog.'' Police arrived on the scene and called for Dog Warden Mr. Leonard "Shinah'' Simons. Mr. Simons arrived to find the dogs still locked together.

The pitbull terrier had locked its jaws onto the distressed Rusty's snout, and was clinging on tightly.

Mr. Simons said: "They were still fighting. I fastened a chain onto the pitbull and took it out of the way. pitbulls are fairly easy to stop because they tend to catch hold and stay motionless. Other dogs' heads are all over the place in a fight.'' Both dogs were taken to the nearby Endsmeet Animal Hospital where veterinary surgeons worked on Rusty for more than three hours. He seemed very distressed by the incident. The pitbull appeared fairly passive.

Soon after the dogs had been removed a distraught Mr. Paul arrived on the scene. He said: "I have had Rusty for eight years. He is my best friend. You become very attached.

"He was chained to his kennel. He had no chance. This is the second time this dog has attacked Rusty. It has got to stop. The Police won't do anything about it so I am going to do something myself. The Police are not doing their job.'' Mr. Paul was furious. He said he would attack the pitbull's owner, a local man, if he arrived home. He said: "This is really the last straw. I am really angry about this. '' However Mr. Paul, who works in the Planning department, later calmed down and asked Police to take action against the owner and called for the pitbull to be destroyed.

He claimed it is the second time it has attacked his dog, it has also attacked other dogs and chased one resident at night.

Police and Mr. Simons are discussing what action, if any, will be taken against the pitbull and its owner.

Concerning the accusations of late arrival by the Police, Public Relations Officer P.c. Gary Venning reported the time the incident was reported was 11.03 a.m. and the officer arrived at 11.15 a.m.

He said: "We will look into this, but in some cases when something stressful is happening five minutes can seem like half an hour. Although I am not saying this happened on this occasion.'' Mr. Simons said yesterday that he would not know Rusty's condition until after surgeons had finished operating at Endsmeet.

Last year new regulations were introduced allowing the dog warden to confiscate a dog from its owner if it is believed to have attacked a person or another animal.

But residents of Border Dell were backing other residents' calls for a complete ban on dogs which have been bred for fighting like pitbull terriers.

"ASSASSIN'' -- The pitbull terrier that attacked a German shepherd.

HOW ARE YOU MATE? -- Mr. Kenny Paul checks the condition of Rusty at Endsmeet Hospital. He is held by technician Mrs. Beverly Holder.