Boy, 10, needs stitches after being mauled by out-of-control dog outside his Walsall home
A 10-year-old boy was left needing stitches after being mauled by an out-of-control dog outside his Walsall home.
The boy was playing football in front of his home in Bentley Drive on Wednesday evening when he was pounced on by the animal who knocked him to the ground.
It is one of a number of dog-related incidents in the region over the last week.
A man has died after being attacked by two dogs understood to be XL Bullys in Stonnall yesterday and an 11-year-old girl suffered bite wounds after being pounced on by an XL Bully in Bordesley Green on Saturday.
West Midlands Police said a 60-year-old woman had been arrested and released with a caution following the dog attack in Walsall, while the animal is to be "humanly destroyed".
The boy's father, Gohar Siddique, has since released CCTV footage of the incident in order to raise awareness, and has urged dog owners to keep their pets under control.
The footage shows the schoolboy kicking a football towards his house before he is leaped on by the dog and knocked to the ground.
The attack, which left the youngster with injuries to his arm and legs, lasted for more than 30 seconds before two women rushed to the child's aid.
One of them managed to wave down a taxi driver who also attempted to free the child, but it was not until another boy came along to help that the child was finally freed.
The brutal attack lasted around a minute and a half.
The breed of the dog in the video is unknown.
Mr Siddique, 36, was at work when he received a call from his brother telling him what had happened.
His son was taken to Walsall Manor Hospital for initial treatment and yesterday the wounds on his right arm were stitched up before it was wrapped in a bandage.
Mr Siddique, who is a father-of-four, said: "The dog appeared from nowhere. My son had heavy bites on his right arm and we don't know how long it's going to take for him to recover.
"My younger two-year-old son a few minutes before had gone inside. If he'd been outside he would not be alive.
"I never imagined this would happen. I'm really angry. The streets aren't safe.
"Dog owners need to have more responsibility for their dogs.
"My son's life has been damaged by this incident."
Family friend Wajid Iqbal lives nearby and said his 13-year-old son had helped to free the child from the animal's grasp.
He said: "It's horrific. This should not be happening at all. There's been a few incidents around the region.
"My child kicked the dog away, he was such a brave lad. I'm so proud of him. "He was in shock and a bit traumatised afterwards – he didn't go to school the next day."
A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "We were called to Bentley Drive in Walsall on Wednesday 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 to his arm.
"The dog was seized from the location. We believe that the dog managed to get out of his address without the owner knowing.
"We arrested a woman in her 60s 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."