A GRUESOME discovery has been made in the desperate search of a beloved pet dog that was reportedly snatched from its owner’s garden by a seagull.
Becca Hill’s partner could do little to prevent their miniature Chihuahua Gizmo from being snatched up by one of the birds, who then flew off with the four-year-old pooch in its beak.
A social media campaign was subsequently launched in the hope of finding Gizmo alive and well – but it appears increasingly likely that the dog suffered an altogether more disturbing fate.
Following a search of the local area around the dog’s home in Paignton, Devon, nearby Totnes resident Natalie Williams made a grim discovery in the form of a single leg on the roof of building.
Becca, her partner and their six-year-old daughter are now facing an anxious wait to find out if the leg does in fact belong to Gizmo.
Ms Williams told The Sun on Sunday: “We had to get someone out to remove a chicken’s head not long ago, as well as the body of a gull that had been cannibalised.
“On Friday, I found what can only be described as a mammal’s leg on a fire escape at the back. I straight away thought of Gizmo as it looks like it belongs to a dog.”
In the meantime, she is appealing for anyone who may be able to help her find out what happened to her dog after it was taken from their home six miles away.
The story is made all the more upsetting for the fact Becca’s daughter who has been left distraught by the sudden loss of a beloved pet in such strange and unsettling circumstances.
The Irish public have previously been urged to keep a distance from seagulls during the hot summer months.
See More: Chihuahua, Dog, Pets, Seagull
