It happened on Tuesday, June 30 when a large waist-high wolfhound, roaming free, wandered up her driveway, mauled and killed her tiny pet chihuahua which was sunning itself on her back veranda.

The aftermath also left her with a severely injured finger, for which she was hospitalised for eight days.

The Coromandel Street woman has issued a strong warning to owners to keep dogs on leads and not let them roam the streets.

"My dog was sitting on a cushion where it should have felt safe. What kind of dog just crunches another one until its eyeballs are hanging out?" Mrs Hunter said.

The family, including daughter Emily and sons Joseph and Stuart, have also been left traumatised.

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Mrs Hunter said the attack occurred at 9.30am. She was alerted by her dog, Missy's bark. Emerging from the house, she found the tiny 15cm long 12-year-old chihuahua in the dog's mouth, with only her legs hanging out.

On seeing Mrs Hunter, the wolfhound "took off down the driveway."

"I ran after it, screaming with my arms flailing," she said.

"I thought it would tear her to threads so I wrestled it. A thousand things were going through my head."

She gouged the wolfhound's eyes to distract it and when that didn't work, tried to prise open its jaws. In the process, the dog bit her left index finger, leaving blood gushing.

"I saw it (the attack), heard it and watched it bite down harder. It only stopped when it knew it had killed her. She was terrified," Mrs Hunter said.

Missy had a large tear on the back of her neck and blood everywhere.

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But before taking her to the vet, Mrs Hunter managed to haul the wolfhound by the collar into her laundry where she left it locked up.

Nothing could be done for Missy. Mrs Hunter later went to the hospital and had 20 stitches put in her finger. Two tendons were severed, nerves damaged and she was hospitalised for eight days after the bone became infected.

"My finger looked like something of a horror movie," she said.

"I don't know whether I will ever get the full range of movement back."

While away from the house, the wolfhound "tore up the laundry." A friend called the council ranger who managed to quell and capture it, before taking it to the animal shelter.

A council spokesman said the owner, who was identified from the microchip, surrendered the dog.

"...As it was not suitable for re-homing after an attack, it was euthanized on the same day. Due to the animal being surrendered no fine will be issued as per the council's procedures," he said.

Mrs Hunter told The Post it was the worst day of her life, telling her three children what had happened.

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The family acquired Missy from the Yagoona animal shelter when she was just five months. She often accompanied them, perched in a small handbag with her head hanging out one side.

"(When the kids were little) they dressed her up for Easter hat parades, grandparents day and teddy bears picnics," Mrs Hunter said.

"She came along with me to scripture classes, which I teach, and would sit up and drink a cup of tea because she saw everyone else doing it. Everyone loved her and she was a loved family pet."

Meantime, she says she's tired of seeing large dogs jumping her fence and roaming the streets. Mrs Hunter also claimed the council emergency number on weekends often went unanswered when she was trying to report off-leash dogs.

She said she subsequently heard that the wolfhound's owner had blamed a gate left open by the meter reader for the dog's escape.

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"Wouldn't you think if you owned a dog like that you would keep it tied up?" she asked.

"...Now Missy's life has been cut short. She brought nothing but happiness to everyone."

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