A HERO builder saved a tiny King Charles Spaniel from certain death at the hands of a suspected pit bull by spraying the crazed status dog with a fire extinguisher. Shaun Reeves, Balfour Beatty's site manager at Hathersage Court, Newington Green, raced to

A HERO builder saved a tiny King Charles Spaniel from certain death at the hands of a suspected pit bull by spraying the crazed status dog with a fire extinguisher.

Shaun Reeves, Balfour Beatty's site manager at Hathersage Court, Newington Green, raced to the rescue when he heard the blood-curdling screams as two-year-old Toby was being mauled outside his office.

The savage dog had clamped its jaws around Toby's throat and was shaking all life out of the distraught spaniel - as horrified owner Vanessa Mcneice desperately tried to drag him free.

But it was only when Mr Reeves had the ingenious idea of unleashing a fire extinguisher that the attack dog let go - leaving its victim limp and lifeless on the ground.

Ms Mcneice, 38, a locksmith who lives in Hathersage Court with her husband and two daughters, said: "Myself and my nine-year-old daughter Tilly were taking our two King Charles Spaniels for a walk at the back of the flats when all of a sudden this pit bull cross-breed came round the corner without a lead or a muzzle.

"It looked at Toby, then charged at him and grabbed him around the throat. It had its mouth clamped on Toby's neck and was shaking him about like a rag doll.

"The owner came round the corner telling me to get my dog off his, but then he started kicking his dog and hitting it with a brick to

get it off. I was screaming and holding onto Toby, but the other dog wouldn't let go until the builders ran over and sprayed it.

"We thought Toby was dead. He was not moving and his body was totally limp, but Michelle Holton from Balfour Beatty rushed me to the vet's and they managed to save him."

Traumatised Toby was put on a drip and pumped full of injections, as his heart rate soared up and down. A week on from the attack he still has puncture wounds on his neck and swelling on his windpipe, but miraculously he should make a full recovery.

"I'm so thankful to Shaun and Michelle," said Ms Mcneice. "What Shaun did was so brave because those dogs are terrifying. People are breeding them to fight. If they could do that to another dog you can only imagine what would have happened if it was a baby lying there on the grass."

Mr Reeves said: "I've heard that they use fire extinguishers on dogs that are attacking other dogs or people in other countries and luckily it worked this time. I ran out of the office when I heard the screams and grabbed hold of the little dog and called for a fire extinguisher.

"One of the other guys brought it over and I set it off on the pit bull and thankfully it let go straight away. I don't feel like a hero. It's the natural thing to do and I'd definitely do it again."

Ms Holton, Balfour Beatty's resident liaison officer, said: "To see a dog clamped round another's one neck and its owner totally unable to control it was really, really shocking. Thankfully Shaun took command because otherwise there's no doubt that poor little thing would be dead now.