AN animal lover has called for tough action to be taken against the owner of an “out of control” dog that savaged his prized pooch in a busy street.

Peter Paterson’s labradoodle Dougal suffered wounds to his legs and stomach in the attack by a Staffordshire bull terrier/pitbull cross-breed.

It is thought the same dog was responsible for an attack in Barrhead town centre last November that left a pensioner with painful injuries to his hand and his pet with a badly broken leg.

Peter told the Barrhead News: “This pitbull’s owner has been told twice by the dog warden to keep it muzzled and on a lead.

“The fact it has attacked again is right out of order.”

The latest incident took place outside the Post Office in Main Street, Neilston, while Peter was taking Dougal for a walk.

“Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man approaching with another dog,” said Peter.

“It was like a shark on a lead. It managed to bite through the lead and then lunged at Dougal and latched onto his back and leg and then started biting his underbelly. It was shocking.”

Peter, who lives in Neilston, added: “Dougal was screaming with pain and I tried to get the pitbull off by repeatedly punching and kicking it but that didn’t work.

“The attack only came to an end when my dog cowered and huddled on the ground.

“I was a firefighter in Paisley for 30 years and I have seen a few things in my time but I was shaking like a leaf after this.

“The guy was apologetic but I’m worried about what would happen if that dog went after a child.”

Peter took Dougal to a vet’s practice in Crookfur, where he paid £100 for his four-legged friend to be patched up.

He called the police to report the incident after returning from the vet."

Police confirmed they are aware of the incident, adding that it has been dealt with through East Renfrewshire Council’s dog warden service.

A council spokesperson said: “The incident was reported to our Community Safety Team and a Dog Control Notice (DCN) was issued to the dog owner.”

A DCN means the owner must take measures to ensure the dog is controlled.

These can include training, muzzling the dog or banning it from certain areas.

Owners who fail to comply can be fined up to £1,000. A court may also disqualify a person from owning a dog for a period of time.

In extreme cases, the court can order the dog to be put down.