'So unpredictable': Mum of four-year-old Nuneaton dog attack victim calls for dangerous breeds ban
The mother of a four-year-old left with extensive wounds on her face and needing 40 stitches after she was attacked by an American Bulldog is calling for dangerous breeds to be banned.
Amy Hobson's daughter Luna-Ann Forsyth, 4, was attacked by an American Bulldog earlier this year while they were at a family friend's house.
Luna tried to stroke the friend's dog and was pushed to the floor by the animal, which then bit her face.
The four-year-old girl suffered extensive wounds to her face and needed 40 stitches.
Amy says she repeatedly hit the dog in a desperate bid to get it away from her daughter.
A viral video of another dog attack in Birmingham has been circulating on social media - now Amy is calling on the government to take decisive action to prevent further dog attacks.
She told ITV News Central that controversial breeds such as American XL bully dogs and the American Bulldog aren't safe to be around.
Amy said: "These dogs are just so unpredictable. Their owners can say that they are the most friendliest [sic] dogs but you just never know.
"You can't say your dog is never going to bite - especially when they're that big and they're that heavy.
"They're unpredictable, their moods can switch within a second.
"They can be the friendliest [sic] dog, and then in a second they'll turn around and they will bite you and even try to kill you."
She's now calling on the government to consider a ban on the breed - or significant restrictions on owning the 'bully' dogs.
"I want them to be banned. I think they should all be banned," Ms Hobson added.
"If the government are not willing to ban them, then the government should put something in place where owners who want to own [this] sort of breed of dogs need to have a licence, and they also need to have mandatory training for these dogs.
"I also think these dogs, if they're not banned, should be muzzled when they're out in public."
She continued: "I think the government need to seriously look into the facts and the numbers of the rising dog attacks - the evidence is out there."
The recent dog attack on the streets of Birmingham has reignited campaigns for large, 'fighting' breeds like American XL bully dogs and the American Bulldog to be restricted - or banned outright.
Organisations like Bully Watch UK aim to raise awareness of the scale of 'bully' breed attacks in the UK - they believe these dogs are responsible for the majority of attacks.
Today was Luna's first day of school - Amy says that five months on, her daughter is still impacted by the attack.
Amy said: "She's doing absolutely fine. It's taken a couple of months for her to get back to the confident little girl she was.
"We're still having trouble at nighttime with her sleeping, whereas before [there were] [...] no problems, no waking up in the night. Now [...] she's waking up in the night saying she's scared.
"But in herself, she's happy, she's confident - she's doing fine, she started school today!"
Amy is urging parents to be wary of letting their children near these breeds.
She said: "If you see people walking these dogs down the street, down the park, just be really, really mindful.
"And if you have young children, don't let your children go up and stroke them, even if they say the dog won't bite, just please don't let your children go and stroke them [sic] dogs."
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