The family of a boy who was savaged by an American pit bull terrier have pledged their support to the Telegraph & Argus Curb the Danger Dogs campaign.

Four-year-old George Brown needed 200 stitches in his face after he was attacked near his home in August.

Now his parents, Danielle and Sam Brown, have added their names to the T&A's petition which is trying to persuade the Government to implement the following changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991:

  • 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.
Mrs Brown, of Norfolk Road, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, said: "We are fully supporting the campaign and commend the T&A for putting pressure on the Government to act now.

"We know only too well what the devastating effects of dangerous dogs are. George will bear his scars forever.

"Dogs can be lethal weapons as the events in Leicester this weekend have tragically proved."

Mrs Brown said the dog that mauled George had bitten him before.

She said: "The dog that bit George belonged to people who lived nearby.

"We had already reported the earlier incident to the police in May when the dog bit George on the back. Nothing was done about it so the dog had the opportunity to strike again and it did, only this time it was even more ferocious.

"If the changes to the law that the T&A is demanding had been made, George would not have had to go through the ordeal of being bitten twice."

The Brown family moved away from the area after the attack.

Mrs Brown said although George was making a good recovery since the attack his wounds had now become infected.

"He is on antibiotics because an infection has developed on his face," she said.

"He will also have to undergo more skin grafts to reduce the scarring."

Mrs Brown said the family was having to come to terms with the psychological, as well as the physical, effects of the attack.

"George is terrified of big dogs and since the attack he has not been able to sleep on his own," she said.

The brave youngster managed to put a smile on his face when he was a pageboy at his parent's wedding weeks after the attack. Mrs Brown said: "We are all immensely proud of George and how brave he has been throughout his ordeal."

  • The T&A wants as many people as possible to sign our petition, which will be presented to Home Secretary John Reid.
Copies are available at the T&A's offices in Hall Ings, Bradford, and Kirkgate, Shipley. They are also at the offices of the Keighley News, in North Street, Keighley, the Craven Herald, in High Street, Skipton, and the Ilkley Gazette and Wharfedale Observer, in Wells Road, Ilkley.

The petition can also be downloaded from our website at www.thetelegraph and argus.co.uk

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