A retired builder who fought off a vicious dog as its owner looked on says he is disgusted that police are taking no action.

Tony Dempsey of Avon Way in South Woodford was taking his two Chihuahuas and his daughter Sally’s Shih Tzu, Teddy, for a walk in Ferndale Road, Leytonstone, close to Wanstead Flats, when the attack happened on May 1.

He said: “As I was putting the dogs in my van to take them home, this fella came by on a bike with a big Alsatian.

“It was on a lead, but it went for Teddy and grabbed him up in its mouth.

“It was tearing the dog to pieces.”

Mr Dempsey, who has had heart bypass surgery, said he pleaded with the dog’s owner to help him release Teddy from the Alsatian’s jaws.

He said: “He couldn’t control it and he was more interested in holding onto his bike than stopping it attacking Teddy.

“I didn’t know what to do, I could feel myself getting out of breath and I was thinking about my daughter because I know how much she loves that dog.

“But I was also worried that this dog was going to attack me, so I grabbed a cable wire wheel from the back of my van and started hitting it.

“The owner started calling me an Irish b*****d, and still didn’t try and stop it.”

Eventually Mr Dempsey forced the Alsatian to release Teddy from its jaws and rushed the injured dog to the Goddard’s veterinary clinic in Wanstead.

Vets saved Teddy’s life by fitting an emergency chest drain and he is now back at home with Sally, although the family are facing vet’s bills in excess of £3,000.

Ms Dempsey, 43, who works part-time at a children’s clothes shop, said: “My kids are in their twenties and have left home, so Teddy is like a child to me.

“I have been really ill since this happened and I think a lot of that is to do with the stress.

“I was hysterical, not just about Teddy but about my dad. He was out of breath when he was ringing me and I was worried he was going to have a heart attack.”

Police managed to locate the owner of the dog, but because it was on a lead Mr Dempsey says they have told him they can take no further action.

Mr Dempsey said: “I am disgusted about that. There is a school just around the corner to the place where this happened.

“What if this animal had attacked a child? It is quite clear to me that this man is incapable of controlling his dog, whether it is on a lead or not.

“Either the dog should be muzzled or he should not be allowed to keep it.”