A brave man fought off an aggressive dog with his bare hands as it was mauling his pet, which was left with nasty bite wounds.

Jay Cohen, 33, of St Christopher’s Close, Canvey, was walking his 19-month-old Doberman named Tiny on a field behind St Christopher’s Close when he noticed another dog owner coming his way.

Mr Cohen took the opposite path in case their dogs got into a confrontation.

He said: “The dog, which I think was a Staffie, charged at us and it was biting Tiny. At first I thought it was biting her neck. I called the owner to stop her dog but I got no response.

“I pulled the dog’s nose and its collar but it wouldn’t let go. It was biting Tiny’s chest.

“So I wrenched the dog’s jaws apart with my hands and forced it to open its mouth. The dog tried to clamp down on my fingers but luckily I overpowered it. I pushed the dog away and I quickly pulled Tiny away.”

Mr Cohen claimed the woman refused to apologise after the incident, but merely told him he should have warned her he was walking along the field.

He said: “That dog’s teeth punctured my fingers. I wasn’t thinking what would happen to me because I was just worried about Tiny, she’s one of our family members and I wanted her to be safe.

“We reported it to police. They said they needed more information on the woman before they can carry out further investigations. Tiny was distressed, she’s a very friendly dog. She’s OK now. She has bite marks on her chest. The owner was very irresponsible, her dog should have been on a leash. She should know her dog is dangerous.”

Mr Cohen’s wife, Jenny-Lee, 33, said she was alarmed to find her husband coming home with his hands covered in blood.

She said: “My husband was banging on the window of the house. He couldn’t get the keys out of his pocket.

“My husband was very shaken up. What’s disturbing was the woman didn’t do anything to help. Some dogs are aggressive, so that’s why owners should be more responsible for them.”

An Essex Police spokesman confirmed they received a report of a woman entering the field behind St Christopher’s Close with her dog which then approached the victim’s dog and attacked it.

They said: “When the victim intervened he was bitten causing injuries to his hands. If you have any information about this incident please contact Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.”