Horrific moment out-of-control dog attacks schoolboy playing football outside Walsall home
Shocking footage shows a dog attacking a boy while he plays football
A video has been released of the shocking moment a 10-year-old boy was mauled by a dog outside his home.
The youngster was playing on Bentley Drive in Walsall when the brown-coloured dog ran past in the street.
Video shows the animal suddenly turn and charging him, biting down onto the boy’s arm - in a two-minute attack.
After about 30 seconds, family members rush to help the boy, but the dog still refuses to let go.
The dog eventually lets go after being hit by a toy with the help of a passing taxi driver.
It is one of three separate dog-related incidents in the Midlands this week after a man died following an attack by two frenzied dogs in Stonnall, near Walsall, and an 11-year-old girl suffered bite wounds after being pounced on by an XL Bully in Bordesley Green.
West Midlands Police said the dog in the most recent video is to be "humanely destroyed".
A 60-year-old woman was arrested and released with a caution.
Gohar Siddique, the boy's father, shared the clip because he wanted to raise awareness. While the breed of the dog in the video is unknown, he urged owners to keep their pets locked up.
The 36-year-old factory worker said: "I just want to make sure this doesn't happen to other people. This should not be happening to young children."
Mr Siddique - who was at work when he was told what had happened - said his son was recovering in hospital and would require surgery.
"If my two-year-old son was outside he would not be alive," said Mr Siddique. "My older son was brave. When you see the video you feel terrible."
A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: "We were called to Bentley Drive in Walsall on Wednesday, September 13, to reports of a disorder and that a child had been bitten by a dog.
"The 10-year-old was taken to hospital to be treated for bite marks on his arm.
"The dog was seized from the location. We believe the dog managed to get out of its address without the owner knowing.
"On Thursday, September 14, we arrested a woman in her sixties on suspicion of possession of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury.
"She has since been released with a caution and has given up the dog to be humanely destroyed."
It comes as American XL Bully dogs are to be banned after a recent spike in "horror" attacks, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said.
He said he shared "the nation’s horror at the recent videos we’ve all seen" and had acted in the wake of the death in Stonnall.
"It is clear this is not about a handful of badly trained dogs, it’s a pattern of behaviour and it cannot go on.
"While owners already have a responsibility to keep their dogs under control, I want to reassure people that we are urgently working on ways to stop these attacks and protect the public."
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