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Brave neighbours pulled a Staffordshire Bull Terrier off a man and his dog after a vicious attack in a busy Leeds street.

They saw two Staffy dogs run out towards an old German Shepherd and its owner in Back Mount Pleasant, Middleton, at around 4pm on Thursday, April 16.

The female Staffy mauled the German Shepherd and bit the owner's hand, the witnesses claim.

Speaking anonymously, an eyewitness said: "The couple in our street who own two unsociable staffs that have attacked dogs before.

"They got out and attacked a really old German Shepherd.

"The whole street saw it and the attack went on for quite some time. The owner of the German Shepherd was bitten and it took several neighbours to get the female dog off.

"Once she was off, the old dog was helped up and once again the female dog ran and attacked him for the second time.

"The old dog had cuts to the throat, the back legs and face I believe, but came home from the vets okay last night.

"The owner had his fingers bit and he came home bandaged, with tablets for both of them so they don’t get infected cuts."

She added: "We’re a community of dog lovers and normally it’s a great place to walk your dog, but there’s just sometimes events like this that unfortunately take place that’s why it was so shocking."

A concerned onlooker contacted the Leeds Dog Warden after the attack.

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act, it is illegal for a dog to be "out of control" and bite or attack someone.

Section one of the act also makes it illegal to own Pit Bull Terriers, Japanese Tosas, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiros.

(Image: Getty Images)

However, the RSPCA believes this section of the act should be repealed, as police should focus on a dog's behaviour instead of its breed.

A spokesperson for the charity said: "This legislation falsely misleads people to think that the four prohibited types of dogs are dangerous and non-prohibited types of dogs are safe.

"In fact, there is no scientific research to suggest these dogs are inherently aggressive.

"Aggression is a very complex behaviour and whether a dog chooses to display aggression is down to how the dog is bred, reared and his early-life experiences."