A woman who saw her dog die in the jaws of a pit bull terrier is leading a campaign to have the law changed to ensure that such dangerous dogs are muzzled when in public.

Vanessa Grech said that on May 15 she was in a restaurant at The Strand, in Sliema when the incident took place.

"We were just inside the door and Sophi, a Chihuahua-cross, was under the table. A man walked by with his dog, a pit bull on a leash. This pit bull dived under the table and grabbed Sophi by the neck.

"Although the pit bull was on a leash, and about 15 men and myself did all we could to try and prise Sophi out of his jaws, it was impossible.

"This dog was intent on killing her no matter what we did - and believe me we tried. The men were hitting him with metal poles, throwing water on him. They punched and kicked him. Still we couldn't save Sophi. It was the most horrific thing I've ever seen and my poor little Sophi had no chance. The pit bull only let her go when she was dead.

"I don't want to go on about how traumatic it was and how much poor Sophi suffered. But I want to try and stop this from happening again.

"I do not want to draw a line and have all pit bulls destroyed. What I would like is to have these dogs muzzled whenever they are out. A muzzle does not harm the dog but it does stop that animal from harming other animals, children and people," Ms Grech said.

She argued that the Dogs Act should be changed so that all dangerous breeds should be muzzled at all times when they are in any public place.

"The only thing that would have saved Sophi's life was if this dog was muzzled. A leash did not stop it, nor the owner, not even did the severe beatings as it drained the life out of Sophi," Ms Grech said.

Since launching the idea of having a petition, she has received several e-mails from people who had similar experiences. At least seven such cases are known to have taken place in less than a year.

Elaine Brincat, of Birkirkara, said about a month ago, she had a small poodle in her flat.

"A friend of my daughter's came to visit us and when we opened the door, our dog went out in the landing to greet her. A dog which one of the neighbours kept unleashed on the roof rushed down and killed her. We could not prise open its mouth, even though two men inserted spanners and tried to lever it open. Imagine if it was a child's leg instead of the poor dog," she said. Another woman, who preferred to remain anonymous, had a similar experience last August.

"I was walking along the beach in Sliema with my Chihuahua. A bull terrier that was running loose appeared from nowhere and attacked my dog. When I saw it coming I picked my dog up, but it pulled it by its leg from my arms and just tore it apart. Tourists tried to stop it. They threw stones at it but it just savaged my dog and walked off. It was a frenzied attack," she said.

The woman said she insisted with the police that the dog owner should be prosecuted.

"But it was a complete and utter waste of time. The dog owner was acquitted and the dangerous dog can still be seen running about. I did not even testify!

"It was an unprovoked attack. It could have been a child with a little pet. Such dogs are dangerous. In other parts of Europe, such dogs are destroyed by the police and the case is not even taken to court," the woman said.

Another person recounted that while crossing the road with a Labrador dog, a pit-bull jumped out of a passing Suzuki jeep, grabbed the dog by the neck and wouldn't let go.

"We kicked him and beat him but he just would not let go. The Labrador is a large, strong dog but when the pit-bull was eventually prized free, our dog had a deep scar in his neck," the owner said.

Attacks by these menacing dogs have not been confined to attacks on other animals. There have been cases where children have been bitten, too.

A German living in Malta said her brother was bitten in his face by a young pit bull. "My brother sat next to him and said 'hello'. That was enough for the dog to lose control.

He was very lucky to have only some scars and the dog let go after the bite," she said.

Chief government vet Mireille Vella said the importation of pit bulls or their hybrids is banned, even if they are known to be neutered.

"The law stipulates that all dogs known to be dangerous should be held on a leash. The responsibility rests with the owners," Dr Vella said.

"It all depends on how dogs are brought up. A Rottweiler is only violent if it is brought up to be aggressive," Dr Vella said.

Over 300 people have signed the petition to muzzle dangerous dogs. Anyone who wants to add their signature can send an e-mail to astrid@maltanet.net