Horrific moment boy, 10, is mauled by loose dog outside his home

WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIDEO

• Boy, 10, hospitalised after sudden dog attack outside his home

• It comes after a girl, 11, was attacked by an XL Bully dog at the weekend and a man died on Friday following another attack

• Boy's ordeal lasted for 90 seconds and happened as he played football

This is the horrific moment a 10-year-old boy is mauled by an out-of-control dog outside his home.

The shocking video shows the youngster playing football on his front drive before he is set upon by the dog in a 90-second ordeal. He sustained bite injuries to his arm.

It happened in Walsall on Wednesday and prompted a large emergency response.

It was one of a series of dog-related incident in the Midlands this week, after a man died on Friday following a dog attack in Stonnall and an 11-year-old girl suffered bite wounds after being pounced on by an American bully XL and Staffordshire bull terrier crossbreed puppy in Bimingham at the weekend.

West Midlands Police said following the incident in Walsall that the dog is to be "humanely destroyed". A 60-year-old woman was arrested and released with a caution. It's believed the dog got outside without the owner knowing.

Gohar Siddique, the boy's father, said he shared the clip because he wants to raise awareness. While the breed of the dog 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."

In the video, the schoolboy is seen kicking a football towards his house before the hound appears from nowhere and leaps on him. The boy, wearing a red t-shirt and white shorts, is knocked to the ground as the dog clamps down on his arm.

The attack lasted more than 30 seconds before help arrived. Two women rushed to the child's aid but the dog's strength meant it took another minute to prise it away.

An even younger child wandered outside during the commotion, before being screamed at to go back inside. One of the adults waved down a taxi for help before the child was finally freed from the animal's grasp.

Siddique, who was at work when he was told what had happened, said his son was recovering in hospital and would require surgery. He shared images which showed the boy wrapped in bandages.

The father-of-four added: "If my two-year-old son was outside he would not be alive. My older son was brave. When you see the video you feel terrible."

Read more: XL bully dog breeders 'abandoning them due to bad press', say campaign group

Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak has said American XL bully dogs will be banned by the end of the year.

The prime minister made the promise after the man in Stonnall died after being attacked by two dogs - suspected to be bully XLs - and following the viral video of the 11-year-old girl being attacked.

Sunak said on Friday: “I share the nation’s horror at the recent videos we’ve all seen. Yesterday we saw a another suspected XL bully dog attack, which has tragically led to a fatality. It is clear this is not about a handful of badly trained dogs, it’s a pattern of behaviour and it cannot go on.”

The breed will be banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act, he said.

'Keep it in proportion'

A charity has warned against an "anti-dog frenzy" in the wake of the recent attacks and Sunak's pledge to ban American XL bully dogs.

Jane Williams, a trustee at the Animal Behaviour and Training Council, told Yahoo News UK: "We’ve been hearing discussions about whether people should be carrying sprays to protect themselves. It can easily be whipped into an anti-dog frenzy but we have to keep it in proportion.

“We don’t want to belittle or diminish - in any way - what has happened. But at the same time, domestic dogs that are cared for, whose needs are being met, where owners are responsible and do something when they see signs of fear or anxiety… these are not the dogs which are causing the sad situations we have seen all too frequently recently.

“It’s all about responsible ownership. The politicians want a quick fix like they always do. They stick another breed on the list but it won’t work: we’ve had the Dangerous Dogs Act since 1991 and what we see is incidences going up [a 34% rise in attacks in England and Wales in five years, according to the BBC] - therefore the legislation is not working."