Visitors and residents were outraged on Tuesday evening when a pair of dogs attacked swans on the river at Lerryn. Witnesses described how the two dog owners stood by while their dogs chased down and attacked the pair of swans. One, a holidaymaker who asked not to be named, said: 'The dogs, a Malamute and a grey shaggy mongrel, spotted the swans on the water at low tide and ran after them. The owners made little or no attempt to stop them. When one was confronted about the animals, she simply responded with "calm down".' The witness described how, after a few hundred yards, the male swan took off but the dogs caught the female. 'By this time, a local resident and I had got down to the waterside and were trying to distract the dogs by shouting as we waded out across the mud. 'The mongrel caught the swan by the wing and dragged it out of the water, despite the swan fighting to get free. 'As we got close we managed to get the dog to drop the swan and it slouched to the bank. One of the owners walked down, put it on a lead and simply walked away.' The people who saw the incident were furious but the dog owners got back into their car, a black Ford Mondeo estate, and drove away, with no apparent interest in the welfare of the swan. Condition However, a number of quick-thinking people photographed the number plate and were able to inform the police and the RSCPA. The swan was able to paddle away and the RSPCA told the Cornish Times one of its inspectors was monitoring its condition but it appeared none the worse for its ordeal. A police spokesman said the dog owners had been traced and had been given 'words of advice' about keeping their animals under control.