Police trace Japanese attack dogs

Japanese Akitas have extremely powerful jaws

Two dogs who savaged a teenage girl and killed her pet Jack Russell have been traced by police.

The Japanese Akita dogs attacked the 13-year-old and her pet as they walked along Dalkeith Road in Owton Manor, Hartlepool, on Wednesday.

Her arm was badly mauled and she needed extensive surgery. Police said the dogs were being kept at a "secure" address.

The attack comes just a month after a three-year-old boy was set upon by the same breed of dog in Coulby Newham.

A Cleveland Police spokesman said the dog's owner had attended a police station in Teesside and the dogs no longer posed a danger. He said inquiries were ongoing.