This is the horror moment a territorial pet dog attacked a grandmother cleaning its dog bowl in Thailand.

The pensioner, Malee Sukpetchanee, 71, was sweeping her garage when she noticed her pet dog Sara's bowl crawling with ants at their home in Ayutthaya province on April 4.

She bent over to clean it up, but the territorial demon pooch charged and sank its fangs into her arm, knocking her onto the floor.

Malee's granddaughter Pleng, 16, heard the commotion and dragged the dog off the blood-covered elderly woman, who was taken to a hospital and received eight stitches for her wounds.

The family said they have decided to give Sara away as it had already attacked relatives before.

Malee said: 'Sara is a four-year-old Thai Ridgeback -Thai Bangkaew mix that I have been raising since it was a puppy. I have always allowed it to roam freely around the house, but it became extremely possessive of its belongings.

'I'm relieved Sara is being sent away. I no longer have to feel nervous in my own home.'

She added that she has no plans of adopting another pet.

Meanwhile, Chukiat Boonmee, mayor of the Bangban Subdistrict Municipality, said : 'The Bangban Subdistrict Municipality conducted an investigation upon learning of the incident. We deployed a skilled team to handle the dog.

'Initially, we thought the Watchdog Thailand Foundation would accept Sara. However, the foundation was too busy and unable to accommodate it. The local government sent a team to retrieve Sara instead.'

However, the Watchdog Thailand Foundation said on April 8 that Sara had reportedly escaped from the animal handlers who were taking it to the dog pound.

It allegedly broke the old cage being used to contain it before running away when the animal control team made a stop on their way to the shelter.

The foundation is now offering a 65,000-baht reward for residents who have information on the dog's whereabouts.

The animal charity has also accused the Bangban local government of animal cruelty while restraining Sara.

Mayor Chukiat defended the animal handlers, saying they had prioritised the safety of the residents over being gentle with the dog. He added that Sara has not yet been found.

Thailand is notoriously unregulated over pets and there are no laws preventing people from keeping dangerous dogs.