Lukey, a 10-year-old rough collie cross, was with his foster carer, Toni Derooy, at Waimate Old Cemetery about 11am when he was attacked.
What started as a ``quick walk'' turned into a harrowing encounter after Lukey and his carer were rushed by another male dog, which Ms Derooy described as pale brindle-marked ``hunting dog or pig dog''.
``I heard a sound and the dog rushed us, got Lukey, grabbed him by the throat and Lukey went down. It started shaking him and I started trying to pull it off.
``I kicked it and punched it - all those sorts of things and obviously as the attack went on my efforts became quite frantic. I think I broke some of [the attacking dog's] ribs and did something to one of its testicles. It caused enough pain and discomfort that it left.
``It was very muscly and it was not in a cared-for state. It was dirty ... rough.''
It was not wearing a collar or tags.
When the attack dog fled, Ms Derooy carried Lukey to her car and took him to the Waimate Veterinary Centre, where he underwent a 3½-hour operation on his injuries.
Lukey's skin was torn from his face and his flesh and skull exposed, plus he also had a severe neck wound and several other bite marks, she said.
``There's the possibility that he might not survive this.''
As of yesterday afternoon, Lukey was in a ``fair amount of discomfort'' and had shown little interest in eating. He would be fed using a syringe until his appetite returned.
Waimate District Council regulatory services manager Sue Kelly said the incident had been reported.
``We certainly are investigating but as yet we don't know who the dog belongs to. We have received a lot of feedback and have checked out all of the leads we have had so far, but they have not been fruitful.''
She said council staff were ``limited'' in what they could do until further information came to light and encouraged anyone who knew of the dog or its owner to come forward.
Ms Derooy has cared for Lukey for the last five months, after his owner died.
Lukey was adopted from the Timaru pound through the service Pound Paws Rescue.
