A frantic search for a tiny chihuahua took place after it was snatched by a gull from its owner’s back garden.
Becca Hill’s tiny dog Gizmo was taken by a seagull back while it was playing in the garden of the pet owner’s house in Paignton, Devon.
The vicious gull was seen by Becca’s partner as it grabbed the miniature four-year-old pooch in its beak and took flight.
A frantic search then ensued with locals reporting grim sightings of bones and paws near where gulls gathered back in 2019, reports The Mirror.
Becca said at the time: “My partner was in the garden putting the washing out at the time and suddenly he saw it swoop down.
“It carried Gizmo a fair way as we couldn’t see him anymore.
“I have no idea if he was dropped or where he is now.”
In her Facebook post, she wrote: “Please, please, please, anyone finds a chihuahua he’s mine a seagull has taken him from my garden.
“Bottom of Maridon Road, Paignton.
“Have a really upset 6-year-old missing her dog.”
Days after the dog’s disappearance it was claimed that experts were examining a leg bone that was discovered in the search for the missing canine.
The bone was by found by Natalie Williams on a roof which seagulls had been using as their home, six miles away.
At the time Natalie said she’d found a “mammal’s leg” and “straight away thought of Gizmo” as it looked like it belonged to a dog.
However experts believed it more likely belonged to a rabbit.
Another woman – Daisy Pugh – said she saw seagulls fighting over a paw in a car park in Exeter.
Following Gizmo’s disappearance, the RSPCA issued urgent advice for owners of small dogs.
They warned pet owners to keep little pooches on leads – particularly during the summer season.
An RSPCA spokeswoman told The Mirror: “Gulls that swoop suddenly on people or pets are usually just trying to protect nearby chicks that have left the nest but aren’t yet able to fly properly.
“They’ll stop when the person or animal has moved away from their young.
“This behaviour usually only lasts for a few weeks during the summer until the chicks have fledged and are able to protect themselves.
“The RSPCA advises pet-owners to put their dog on a lead and to avoid disturbing the birds by keeping their distance from any gull nests, or chicks seen on the ground.”
In September “psycho” gulls terrorised locals with attacks and preventing people from sleeping with their early morning calls the Somerset city of Bath.
The resident who only gave his first name, Gavin, warned the winged beasts are displaying “increasingly aggressive behaviour” in the city.
