Actress Suzanne Dodd, 43, who once had a role on popular soap "Eastenders," recalled to The (London) Daily Telegraph how the bird of prey grabbed one of her two Jack Russell terriers as they walked near Benalmadena on Saturday afternoon.

"Suddenly this enormous bird swooped across the path. With one talon it grabbed her nose and the other her collar and I thought that was it for the dog but it struggled for a moment and I moved in," she said.

"I had just a moment to act and grabbed hold of its enormous wing. It turned and bit me but released the dog."

Dodd, who lives in Benalmadena, said the failed attempt didn't stop the eagle from trying again as she ran with her dogs for cover.

"It swooped down on us about 20 times," she said. "It was a surreal and terrifying experience."