Danger dog case probed by MP Alan

Father-of-four Dave Taylor, 36, lost all feeling in his left arm after he was savaged by a Japanese akita in his own home last year.

The animal, called Kane, did not have to be destroyed under the law because the attack was not in a public place and Mr Taylor was in charge of it at the time, as he was looking after it for a friend.

But Mr Taylor, a former coach driver, believes the dog poses a danger to the public and has asked health minister and Darlington MP Alan Milburn to look into the matter.

Mr Taylor said: "I can honestly say this attack has ruined mine and my family's life. I am on anti-depressants and painkillers and I cannot work. I do not want the same thing to happen to anyone else."

Merryn Hewitt has also come forward to say she was bitten by the dog before the attack on Mr Taylor, though she did not tell police at the time.

Mrs Hewitt, a nurse, said she needed 29 stitches in her left forearm after the alleged attack in January last year.

She said: "The community needs to be safeguarded from what is undoubtedly a highly dangerous dog. What if next time the victim is a child?"

Both she and Mr Taylor said the dog was regularly taken for a walk without a muzzle in Skerne Park, Darlington.

Mr Milburn's office has written to Darlington Borough Council asking it to investigate the matter.

A letter has also been sent to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, asking it to reconsider its decision not to award Mr Taylor any compensation.

Mr Milburn's assistant, Elaine Hope, said: "We are taking it up for Mr Taylor. I have written to Community Safety and asked them to look into it. If the dog is roaming around biting people, someone should do something."

A council spokesman said: "We do not believe there is a community safety issue. But if there are dogs that are dangerous and out and about, people should call the dog wardens."

The dog's owner has failed to reply to a request from The Northern Echo to comment.