A gang of thugs kicked a man's dog to death during an attempted street robbery.
Dhiren Chudasama was attacked while he was walking Giggs, his brother's 10-month-old Jack Russell, in Thurnby Lodge, Leicester, on Thursday evening.
Three men, whose faces were covered by hoods, confronted the 24-year-old and told him to give them some money.
When he refused, one of the men held Mr Chudasama to search his pockets while the others repeatedly kicked the defenceless animal.
They ran away when Mr Chudasama managed to fight back.
He then took the paralysed and bleeding Giggs back to his brother's house nearby, where he died a short time later.
He said: "I can't understand how someone could do this, there are no words to describe what these men did.
"I was taking care of Giggs for my brother because he was on holiday. I was going to the shop, so I decided to take him with me for a walk.
"We were waiting to cross the road and he was sitting at the kerb when the three men approached us.
"One stood behind and the others told me to give them my money. I'm not even sure that they intended to rob me, I think they were just out to cause trouble.
"They started kicking him, I'm not sure how many times. One of them was holding me and I tried to push him away. I know I managed to hit one of them because there's a bruise on my hand. The dog was paralysed and bleeding, so I took him to my brother's house, but he died there.
"I just can't believe anyone would do this. We are all very upset, especially my brother."
Giggs' owner, Keval, 31, said: "He's only a small dog and he would never hurt anyone. He was my little baby. I can't describe how I feel about these men."
The incident took place at 6pm in Brook Road on the estate. Police believe the men ran away towards nearby Scraptoft Lane.
Detective Constable Jonathan Davies, said: "This was a callous crime which has left the victim and his family extremely shocked and distressed. We need to catch those responsible for this despicable crime.
"The incident took place during the evening at a time when most people are returning home from work, so we would urge anyone who witnessed any part of the incident to contact us immediately. We would also appeal to anyone who may know the identity of those responsible or has heard rumours locally to contact us.
"During the incident, the victim pushed one of the suspects away and he may have received an injury to his face.
"If you know someone who has an unexplained injury since yesterday please contact us.
"Any calls received will be treated in confidence."
The suspects are white men and are thought to be in their early or mid-20s.
One of them wore a black hooded tracksuit top and black tracksuit bottoms.
The second has a freckled face, thin eyebrows and dark blonde hair. He was wearing a black Nike Airmax hooded top and dark grey tracksuit bottoms.
The third suspect was wearing a black hooded coat and blue jeans.
Contact Det Con Davies 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.
