Navy veteran Brian Sargeson was on his usual morning walk around Worrigee with nine-year-old Maltese, Hozay, and 10-year-old Maltese Shih Tzu, Eric, when he was confronted by two large dogs in Peppermint Drive.

Despite Mr Sargeson’s efforts to keep the mastiff and rottweiler at bay, the two smaller dogs were “set upon”.

“It was just horrific,” Mr Sargeson said.

“It all just happened so quickly.

“They just came charging out and before I knew it had hold of Hozay and Eric.

“I managed to wrestle Hozay free, but the other one had Eric and was shaking him like a rag doll and eventually killed him.”

Mr Sargeson suffered a nasty bite to the top of one of his fingers and his arms.

“It was terrifying and I’m still getting over it,” he said.

“It was pretty hard. I have a fused ankle, a gammy leg with a brace on it and have had a bypass. I couldn't do much.

“It was bad but it could have been so much worse. Imagine if it had been a child.

“Thankfully a woman came along in her car and drove onto the footpath and honked her horn which chased the dogs away.

“Another woman came out from a neighbouring property and helped me home. I thought Eric, who is my son’s dog, was still alive but unfortunately he wasn’t.”

Brian and his wife Kathy took both dogs to the Bomaderry Veterinary Hospital, which confirmed Eric had died.

Staff tended to Hozay and also treated Mr Sargeson’s wounds.

“Thankfully, and incredibly, Hozay escaped relatively injury free however he has been very traumatised,” he said.

“All weekend he hasn’t left us.” Mrs Sargeson said.

“Wherever we went he was near us.”

The Sargesons said their 50-year-old son was devastated by the death of his dog.

“He’s shattered,” Mrs Sargerson said.

“He did everything with Eric. He was like his child.”

Mr Sargeson has walked the family pets in the area for two years and said, apart from being confronted by one of the dogs previously, had never had any issues.

The attack was reported to Nowra Police and Shoalhaven City Council rangers, who seized the animals.

Ranger Services manager Mike Jarman said the owners would be issued control orders on their dogs.

“We will be returning the dogs to the owners but they will have strict conditions imposed,” he said.

“The owners of the dogs, two brothers in their 20s, have been very cooperative and have abided by all our requests.

“They will have to take every step to ensure their dogs can’t get out. They will have to be kept in proper enclosures.

“They have apologised for the attack and gone out of their way to fix everything council has required.”

It was one of two dog incidents over the weekend. A seven-year-old boy was bitten on the ear and shoulder in a separate attack, also in Worrigee, on Saturday afternoon.

Police were told the child was playing in the front yard of his Isa Road home when he was bitten around 5pm.

He was taken to Shoalhaven District Hospital and treated for his injuries.

Officers were told the dog had been playing aggressively with the child and had jumped on him.

Police have spoken to the owner of the dog and will take no further action.