Martin Fletcher, 55, had been walking his Jack Russells Ben and Jerry in South Gare, North Yorkshire, on Sunday afternoon when a stranger’s dog came running over.

The Rottweiler then started to viciously attack his pets, to the extent that one of them was left needing over 30 stitches.

Fearing that his dogs would be mauled to death, Mr Fletcher tried to pull the animal away before resorting to biting it.

Describing the incident, he said: ‘I tried getting my dog out of the way and he grabbed the little one. It went for me and got my hand.

‘It looked like my dog was dead, it was terrible, it seemed like the attack went on forever. I tried everything I could to get the dog off him, when as a last resort I bit him.

‘The owner walked over. He was hitting his dog with his lead. I bit the animal hard and I put my hands in its mouth. The man eventually got the dog on a lead.

‘I was just in shock. I bit the Rottweiler’s ear so badly I lost a tooth. When I opened my mouth my tooth just fell out.

‘There was loads of blood coming out of Ben. I took my hat off and then I saw the man walking away. I was covered in blood.’

Mr Fletcher and his wife Pauline, 55, then rushed the dogs to the vets and Ben underwent an emergency operation, which cost £800 and left him with 36 stitches.

Jerry had suffered puncture wounds to his back and neck, while Ben’s had bites on his back, chest and neck and a major injury to his front leg.

Mr Fletcher, a councillor and owner of Cuts Tyres & Exhausts, was also given a tetanus injection and had to have five stitches in his hand.

He said: ‘I don’t know the man but if I saw him again I would recognise him. I’ve had dogs all my life and have never seen anything like it.

‘Jack is okay, the young one, but Ben’s full body is covered in bruises and the stitches are still in.

‘They are lovely little dogs and I have had Jack Russells all my life. The dogs are my children.’

The couple have informed the police about the incident.