Renewed dog lead call as boy is bitten

The bite mark the dog left on 13-year-old Charlie Ferguson's right leg after the attack.

Beverley Ferguson made the plea after her son Charlie, 13, was attacked and bitten by an unleashed Border Collie as he played on his skateboard.

The teenager had been at the park with his father and sister when the dog “bit him for no reason” on the back of his right leg. Charlie, who has Aspergers Syndrome, had to go to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast to be treated. Beverley said: “It is a disgrace. What would have happened if that had been a toddler the dog  had bitten?

“Where are you supposed to take your kids to play if there are dogs running around the park? I would just urge everyone to keep their dogs on a lead.”

This is the second dog attack in Wallace Park in recent months after an 11-year-old girl was set upon by a dog in April.

The girl was not bitten but was left with heavy bruising and paw marks on her leg following the incident.

At the time of that incident the dog warden said that dogs can be let off the lead as long as they are well behaved and come when they are called once.

The Ferguson family has reported the incident to the dog warden on the insistence of the hospital.

Beverley said: “We have told the dog warden so it is up to them what happens. The owner didn’t seem to care about what had happened at all.

“He said it was ‘only a nip’ when my husband asked for his details and generally seemed more concerned about his dog rather than what it had done to my son.”