New York dog owner Robert Machin has described himself as "devastated" after a street cleaning truck made short work of one of his two Boston terriers, sucking the unfortunate mutt into its rotating brush mechanism, the New York Daily News reports.

Machin had been walking Buster and Ginger on Thursday when tragedy struck. He'd opened the door to his car and was about to get in when said truck ingested Ginger. Machin, who'd been holding the poor pooch by its lead, recounted: "It happened so fast. It spun me around, and as it spun me around, I caught a last glimpse of her.

"I was devastated. I was completely dumbfounded and shocked. I mean, I just witnessed my dog sucked up into a street sweeper."

Machin chased the truck for two-and-a-half blocks, "shouting for the operator to stop". Sadly, the whirring brushes of canine death had already done their grisly work.

Eyewitnesses to the tragedy say the truck was speeding, and Machin said he's "planning to contact the Humane Society and hire a lawyer".

The Department of Sanitation offered its condolences, describing the incident as "a rare and unfortunate accident". It concluded: "It is important for all New Yorkers to remember to maintain the safety of their animals while walking city streets."

The New York Daily News has a snap of Machin grimly holding the remains of Ginger's lead and a heartrending pic of the victim here. ®

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