Moment grandmother’s beloved cocker spaniel is mauled to demise

This is the horrifying moment a grandmother’s beloved cocker spaniel is mauled to death by two Chinese fighter dogs which are ‘owned by the local mayor’ – who has ‘yet to apologise for the vicious attack’.

Annette Edson watched on helplessly as her arthritic pet Abbey was knocked over by the beasts, twice her size, which she says were running unleashed and un-collared in a local park in Worksop, Nottinghamshire.

The two Shar Pei hounds – bred in Southern China as guard dogs – attacked terrified Abbey as her owner desperately tried to fight them off.

Traumatised Abbey was pinned to the ground and frenziedly mauled under her belly as she was laying on her side.

While the animal didn’t die during the attack, her injuries were so severe and she was in ‘such deep shock’ that a vet recommended putting her sleep shortly afterwards, which a heartbroken Mrs Edson and her husband Colin agreed to. 

The two attack male dogs – thought to be called Jed and Walter – are understood to belong to Maria Charlesworth, Mayor of Worksop and councillor on Labour controlled Bassetlaw District Council, and her husband David.

Mrs Edson, 57, claims the local politician had offered to pay the vet’s bill but ‘is yet to apologise’ for the viscous attack and has called on her to ‘resign as a councillor with immediate effect’.

Sobbing as she recounted her nightmare ordeal to MailOnline, Mrs Edson said: ‘It was just horrendous and there was blood pouring everywhere.’ 

The dog lover, who had ‘beautiful and perfectly behaved’ Abbey for 14 years since she was an eight-week-old puppy, wept: ‘She was terrified and was shrieking out in pain.’

Housewife Mrs Edson, who sustained a finger injury as she attempted to save her dog from the jaws of the attacking animals, how the horror unfolded shortly after 8am.

She had been walking Abbey and her two-year-old Spaniel pup Alley in the park right next to her home.

She explained: ‘Both dogs had collars on but were off the lead, and walk by my side as good as gold.

‘We were on the pavement just walking onto the grass and I let Abbey run off for a wee.

‘Suddenly I heard a woman shout ‘No!’ and I could see a dog had come out of nowhere, off its lead, and had smashed into my Abbey.

‘It just swiped her to the ground, then another dog joined it, they were both twice her size and very strong aggressive.

‘Abbey has arthritis in her legs and is deaf, and I was holding my young dog with one hand while I tried to pull the attack dogs off but I couldn’t.’

Mrs Edson wept: ‘I knew this would kill her, she’s an old dog with ailments and she was shrieking and screaming out in pain and terror.

‘One of the dogs bit my finger but that was nothing compared to Abbey. They were ripped at her stomach and bowels, it was frenzied, sustained attack which lasted four minutes.

‘It was just horrendous and there was blood pouring everywhere.

‘The woman was shouting at her dogs and the man, her husband, started kicking the hell out of them to get them off.

‘They ran off and then on came back again to have another go but by this time I had managed to pick Abbey up and take her home.’

Mrs Edson, who routinely walks to the park daily with her two dogs, tried to stem the flow of blood from her severely injured pet with towels, saying: ‘The blood was pumping and pouring from her, she had been ripped. 

‘My husband was at work and our son who lives nearby was on holiday so I called a friend and she took me to the vet, Park Hall in Mansfield Woodhouse.

‘He started operating on Abbey but said there was too much damage, she was in pain, and the prognosis wasn’t looking good, sh would struggle to recover because of her age, so he recommended she be put down.

‘He was amazing, we trusted him and agreed, so she was put to sleep that day.’

The Edsons who reported the matter to police, are now calling for their local mayor to do the decent thing.

HGV driver Mr Edson, 63, fumed: ‘It is disgusting behaviour. There was no apology and no acknowledgement of any wrongdoing. Her husband was at fault as well, they were both in charge of two dogs dangerously out of control.

‘She is not fit to hold mayoral office and she should step down and resign as a councillor with immediate effect.

‘It’s not about politics, she represents Labour and we are both Labour supporters, but it is about right and wrong doing and morals, and as our mayor she is in a position of power and influence.’

His wife added: ‘Neither of them had the heart of decency to say sorry. Their dogs killed my dog.’

The Edsons say Mrs Charlesworth called round at the couple’s home two days later and despite still refusing to apologise, she did offer to pay their near £600 vet’s bill, which they declined to accept.

Mr Edson said: ‘We’ve lived in the Gateford area for many years and have family, friends and neighbours looking out for us.

‘After the dog attack my wife was absolutely distraught, and she is still in tears today, but we’ve have had a lot of support from people we know, and complete strangers.

Mr Edson had been working on the day their precious spaniel was mauled, and later died, so did not witness it.

But he says it had been captured on CCTV from camera on the side of their home, which adjoins the park with a narrow path between, and is frequented by dog walkers and kids in the structured playground.

Mrs Edson, who has three children and nine grandchildren, said: ‘I reported the incident to police and they spoke to my and my husband on the phone, and we sent them CCTV from our house which had co-incidentally captured the attack.

‘But we’ve not heard anything back so have no idea if they may be questioning the dog owners

‘Police just told us not to post anything about it on social media, which we haven’t.’

Mrs Edson had invited MailOnline into her neat, cosy home which is filled with flowers, sympathy cards and candles in memory of her pet which is buried in the front garden.  

She said: ‘It is bad enough losing your favourite dog.

‘But to know she was attacked, and killed by dogs belonging to my community Mayor, makes it even worse. It is sickening.’

She says Councillor Charlesworth turned up expectedly at he home two days after the incident.

Mrs Edson said: ‘She said, “My dogs were involved in the attack” and I told her it killed my dog. She hadn’t been aware Abbey had later died and she wasn’t even upset.

‘She said she would pay the vet’s bill but at that time I declined.

‘She said she recalled me shouting “She’s an old lady, she won’t cope with it” as her dogs laid into Abbey.

‘I asked why her mad dogs weren’t on a lead or collar and she said they had both broken free. I was furious with her and said “Go away” and that my husband would deal with this.’

Fondly remembering her spaniel – one of four the couple have owned – she paid tribute to her as a ‘beautiful, sweet girl who wouldn’t harm a fly.

‘She was riddled with arthritis but otherwise she was well and I took her to the park with out puppy every day.’

A tearful Mrs Edson recalled: ‘We loved going on family trips to the seaside and when we walked on the beach we’d take her in a pushchair.

‘Just this weekend we’ve all been away to Bridlington, and Abbey should have been with us. Instead she’s buried in out garden with two of our other lost dogs.’

After the Mayor’s surprise visit, whilst Mr Edson was out working, he told us how he later visited her nearby home to confront her himself.

Speaking exclusively to our website, he said: ‘I asked her why her two dogs were off the lead and not muzzled but she said they were not dangerous dogs and had broken free off leas and and collards. I told her she must be held accountable for this.

Mrs Charlesworth has been contacted for comment.

Bassetlaw District Council has declined to comment with a spokesperson saying: ‘It is a private matter.’