Neighbours feared a 16-stone dog had eaten the postman after he was spotted racing around with a bloody 'severed arm' in his mouth - but it turned out to be a grisly toy. Debra Ann Ridge was at home last week when she heard five-year-old English Mastiff Tatanka careering around the garden.
The 57-year-old rushed outside to find the excited pooch with a gruesome severed 'body part' in his mouth. Stay-at-home mum Debra Ann claims her shocked neighbours initially gave them a 'look' before realising the mischievous dog had raided her Halloween collection and swiped a bloody forearm.
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She says locals now joke that Tatanka has hunted down the postman or quip he had been 'digging in the yard again' - having munched his way through eight of the life-like limbs.
In hilarious images, Tatanka can be seen bouncing around the lawn with the grisly accessory flailing through the air - transforming his owner's leafy suburban street into something from a horror movie.
Debra Ann, from Des Moines, Iowa, US, said: "It is very funny, we laughed very hard.
"Tatanka is a 224lb English Mastiff so his size alone makes people take a second look but a body part in his mouth really makes people stop and look.
"He prances around with the arm in the yard and the neighbours do give us quite the look until they realise it is a Halloween prop and not the real thing.
They always make comments like 'you certainly have a helping hand', 'has Tatanka been digging in the yard again?' and 'don’t need security cameras with Tatanka'.
"They make jokes like 'I see he’s been digging in the backyard again' or 'is that the mailman?'
"He runs around carrying it and throwing it up in the air."
Despite enjoying cuddles on the sofa with his family, Debra claims Tatanka's tough exterior makes people cross the street to avoid him - though she jokes his love of the 'infamous arm' doesn't help his cause.
Debra Ann said: "I was preparing for Halloween and every year I bring out the 'infamous arm', my boy becomes so excited and grabs it and runs off with it.
"I bought the arm off eBay. It was about $7 and we've had about seven or eight over the years.
"He does this every year and then I have to purchase another, they become his favourite toy.
"He loves the arm so much that I decide to let him keep it and just buy others.
"People are unfortunately very afraid until they meet him. Many cross the street when we are walking due to his size alone.
"He's a joker. He jokes around the most [out of three dogs] and he's very playful."
Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
