My partner was mauled to death by a dog not classed as dangerous

Dangerous dog laws are inconsistent, according to a new report by parliament's environment, food and rural affairs committee.

The types of dog that are currently illegal are the pit bull terrier, Japanese tosa, dogo argentino and the fila brasileiro.

Here, Claire Josling talks to Sky News about how her partner David Ellam, 52, was killed in 2016 by a dog not classed as dangerous.

Two months before his death, Dave was so worried that our neighbour's dog might be a banned breed that he spoke to our local dog warden and it was seized by police.

Dave was concerned that the dog, which displayed aggressive tendencies, would attack our Lhasa Apso cross puppy, Rolo, because we shared a communal garden.

But police returned the bull terrier to our neighbour, who lived in the flat above us, because it was not classed as a dangerous breed.

And a week later, Dave was dead. Mauled to death by a dog classed "safe".

No one knows exactly how the dog escaped from the enclosure that August morning, or how the incident started, but it was 9:40am when the first neighbour called police to report a man being attacked by a dog on his doorstep.

Subsequent follow-up calls were made to the police as the dog continued to attack Dave.

The dog was out of control and neighbours couldn't tackle the animal.

The dog only released Dave when the police arrived and used a fire extinguisher on it.

I've heard details of the attack in court and I can't describe them even here now.

No one wants to go over the agony of the last moments of their loved one. I am haunted by the memories and still have many a sleepless night.

Suffice it to say the Crown Prosecution Service called it a "horrific, brutal and sustained attack".

After releasing Dave, the bull terrier then went on to attack Rolo, until its owner returned home and brought the dog under control.

I first knew something was wrong when I looked at my phone at around 10.20am and saw I had a number of missed calls, but no messages had been left.

The police then called my work directly and after confirming my identity, they told me that Dave had been attacked by a dog.

They said he was seriously ill in Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, and they thought that he might die.

They told me to get to the hospital immediately.

My immediate feeling was one of disbelief - I could not comprehend how Dave could be so badly injured that they thought he would die.

My manager drove me to the hospital, which was in the next street from my work so I arrived at A&E about five minutes after receiving the call.

The next 12 hours were spent hoping to good news while Dave underwent emergency surgery.

But despite their best efforts, his injuries were just too severe.

Rolo also required emergency veterinary treatment, but survived.

The bull terrier was taken away and held in police kennels during the investigation.

In December 2016 it was put down, but I was told this was due to a terminal medical condition which was not a contributing factor in the attack on Dave.

The dog's owner, Aaron Joseph, was jailed in February for 10 years after he was convicted of owning a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death.

It emerged the dog had bitten four other people previously.

We found out that a dog warden had visited Joseph five days before the attack and gave him 21 days to comply with the conditions of a dog control order granted in 2012.

The order meant the dog needed to be muzzled, kept on a lead, insured, neutered and micro-chipped.

The first few months after Dave's death were a blur.

His death affected the community as well as our close family and friends.

Eve two years on, we still feel the loss of Dave every day, a huge chunk of our lives just gone in the cruellest of circumstances.

My hope is that people understand that any dog can be dangerous.

People think only the breeds on the Dangerous Dog Act are unsafe, but this is wrong.

Other dogs can be dangerous, as Dave's story sadly proves only too clearly.

I hope that no-one ever has to be put through the trauma that we have had to endure, and I support any changes to the law that could help stop this.

Dave had the biggest heart and would do anything to help anyone.

Despite pretending to come across as a tough man, he was in fact a great big softie shown unfortunately in his undeniable love to protect Rolo.

I just wish the law had protected him.