A teenager who was bitten by a dog being walked in Bradford city centre has given his backing to the Telegraph & Argus's Curb the Danger Dogs campaign.

Sixteen-year-old Bradford college student Sean Gurdey was bitten on his leg while out on his lunch break.

He said: "I was walking near the Kirkgate Centre past McDonalds when I felt a sharp pain at the back of my leg. When I lifted up my trouser leg I saw I was bleeding and realised that the dog had bitten me."

He said the people with the dog, an elderly couple, told the dog not to do that and walked away. He said: "They didn't ask me if I was okay or anything. They just left."

"I was in such a state of shock that I didn't say anything. I just wanted to get home."

Sean, of Wibsey, Bradford, reported the attack to the police and Bradford Council's Dog Warden Service. "At the moment because all dogs are not registered it will be very difficult to trace the dog that bit me," he said.

"That is why I am supporting the T&A's campaign."

Our campaign aims to persuade the Government to make the following changes to strengthen the Dangerous Dogs Act:

  • a compulsory registration scheme for all dogs to help establish a register for dangerous dogs and enable them to be monitored.
  • permanent, compulsory micro-chipping of all dogs.
  • anyone convicted of owning a dangerous dog should have a lifetime ban on owning a dog.
  • the setting-up of an accurate register of owners and their dogs.
  • the introduction of a fixed penalty notice for those who allow their dogs to stray.
Terry Singh, Bradford Council's dog warden manager, said: "A couple with a brindle-coloured bull terrier type of dog were walking past the boy when the dog suddenly lunged at him and bit him. The couple moved on, leaving the 16-year-old boy. His grandmother reported the incident to us and dog wardens visited the city centre but were unable to find this couple.

"We have advised them to contact the police and if anyone has any information about the couple they should contact the Dog Warden Service on (01274) 434366 or the police."

e-mail: jennifer.sugden@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

HOW YOU CAN SIGN OUR PETITION

You can back our Curb the Danger Dogs Campaign by signing our petition, which will be submitted to the Home Secretary, John Reid.

We want to collect as many signatures as possible in the next month to show Mr Reid the strength of feeling in the district about the inadequacies of the Dangerous Dogs Act and to put pressure on him to better protect the public against dog attacks by acting on the changes to the law we have outlined on the petition.

You can support our campaign simply by adding your own name on the petition online at our publication's website www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk. Or you can print out the petition and ask family, friends and colleagues to sign as well. The more signatures we receive, the stronger our message.

But whatever you can do will add weight to our campaign and help to make it clear to Mr Reid the strength of public feeling regarding the desperate need to change the current law.

Remember, you need to return copies of the petition to the T&A (the address is at the foot of the form) by Thursday, October 12.

We will then submit all the forms we receive to the Home Office.

Click here to sign the petition on-line

Or click here to download a copy of the petition to print out

e-mail: newsdesk@bradford.newsquest.co.uk