A nine-year-old boy has been mauled in a vicious dog attack on a Pinner estate.
On September 10 little Jordan Wright had just returned home from West Lodge Middle School, when the white Japanese akita pounced, ripping chunks of flesh out of his hand, arm and chest.
His furious mother, Amanda Cope, is outraged that the canine, which belongs to a neighbour in Hazeldene Drive, has not been put down because it is not classed as a dangerous dog under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
Amanda said: "I could hear Jordan screaming and ran to see what was wrong. He had been helping a neighbour with her gardening and offered the dog a biscuit.
"The dog just leaped on him. There was blood everywhere, Jordan's flesh was hanging off. He was crying and screaming and just in complete shock."
Jordan was taken to Northwick Park Hospital after the attack and was transferred to the Royal Free Hospital, where he had stitches and skin graft.
The football mad youngster, who is just 4ft, now has puncture mark scars across his chest and right bicep, along with a badly scarred hand.
Amanda said: "It is a brute. The kids on the estate are scared of it and the whole attack has really affected Jordan.
"If a human attacked someone they would be dealt with by the police. So why isn't it the same for an animal? It shouldn't be here. It is a danger to the estate. My son is scarred for life but next time a child might not be so lucky."
The mother-of-three is determined to take the matter further, and has started a petition in her neighbourhood campaigning for the dog to be destroyed.
A Japanese akita, also known as the akita inu, is a large dog and was originally bred for fighting.
A spokesman for Harrow Police said: "We explained to the boy's mother that the dog in question is not designated as a prohibited dog under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Therefore, as the incident took place on private property, we are not legally able to take any action against either the dog or its owner.
"We understand from conversations with the mother that a dog warden from Harrow Council has been in contact with the boy's mother and has discussed what other actions could be taken, including pursuing the matter through civil courts."
