This is the shocking moment a family and their pet Husky were mercilessly beaten with iron rods over an alleged dog bite attack in India.

Owner Srinath, 42, was walking his pet pooch around the neighbourhood when several men swarmed them and started bludgeoning them with iron rods and bamboo sticks in Rahmatnagar, Hyderabad, on May 14.

CCTV footage shows the pet dog apparently nibbling on a man's hand before the swarm of weapon-wielding thugs descended on Srinath. They pounded him into the ground as his mum and wife tried to shield him from the blows.

When the pet Husky tried to escape back toward the family's gate, one of the attackers was seen clobbering it with a stick.

Maduranagar police said Srinath suffered serious injuries, while his mum and wife had cuts and bruises. Their pet dog had a broken jaw and a brain clot following the attack and is being treated by vets.

Five people have been detained and a case has been registered against them under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

The brutal incident allegedly stemmed from an alleged dog attack on May 8 in which the husky reportedly bit the relative of a resident named Dhanunjay.

Dhanunjay and his family were said to have taken revenge by thrashing the dog and its owner.

A spokesmanfor the Maduranagar Police Station said: 'An FIR was registered on May 14. Five persons have been arrested on charges of attempted murder and remanded. It happened between two families.

'The accused persons are constructing a house near the dog owner's house. They have an existing dispute and FIRs were registered on May 8.

'Because of the election, we were busy and we have already settled the matter by filing FIRs. They quarrelled again and the opposite persons attacked the dog and the owner. They have bleeding injuries.'