Dramatic moment a dog and swan come to blows in lake

The black and white terrier had been enjoying a swim in a pond at Watermead Park, Leicestershire, when it found itself dangerously close to a mother and her brood of eight fluffy cygnets.

The agitated bird initially attempted to scare the dog away from her offspring alone, before her mate quickly arrived at her side.

In a series of dramatic images, the petite terrier can be seen going head-to-head with the male swan and the pair exchanging blows, while the mother and babies retreat.

Despite struggling to stay afloat during the fracas, the dog managed to bite the male swan on the wing before realising it had bitten off more than it could chew and swam back to the safety of the bank.

Photographer Simon Davoss, 46, from Thurmaston was photographing the family of swans with his friend Paul Budd, 66, with when the pair witnessed the drama unfold.

He said: 'I was there with Paul photographing the birds, when all of a sudden I saw the mother swan start flapping about in the water and hissing, that's when I noticed the dog.

'Initially I could see both of the swans were trying to protect their babies who were a little way behind them.

'The dog was totally overwhelmed and struggled to stay afloat as it barked at the birds.

'Then you saw the male swan step forward and the female moved back with her cygnets.

'The dog was struggling to stay afloat, it was more underwater than on top.

'But it gave as good as it had got, in one picture you can see it put its right paw on the swan and in another it actually bit the swan on the wing.

'But I think the dog realised it had bitten off more than it could chew and it thought 'I'm never going to win this' because it soon backed off and swam back to the bank.

'Those male swans are very strong birds so the dog was lucky not to be injured.'

Retired engineer Paul, said the fight was one of the most dramatic he'd seen unfold at Watermead Park.

He said: 'The adult swans seemed determined to put up a good fight to protect their babies.

'Being a small dog the swan could easily have sunk it under the water.

'When swans mate they push the other beneath the water, so if they can do that to another swan they can easily push a dog of that size under.

'The dog was lucky to escape if the action had taken place in deeper water or if the swan had managed to get a hold of the dog by the neck, it could have been a very different story. 

(dailymail.co.uk)