The fate of a Devon dog is unknown after a seagull swooped down and carried the miniature chihuahua away in its beak, its owner said. Becca Hill, 24, of Paignton, is hoping four-year-old Gizmo will be found alive.

She said: ‘My partner was in the garden putting the washing out at the time and suddenly he saw it swoop down. ‘It carried Gizmo a fair way as we couldn’t see him anymore. I have no idea if he was dropped or where he is now.’

She also posted about Gizmo on Facebook. ‘Please, please, please, anyone finds a chihuahua he’s mine, a seagull took him from my garden,’ she wrote. Ms Hill said her six-year-old daughter is ‘really upset’ and ‘missing her dog’. Fortunately, the child did not witness Gizmo being taken away.