A man who suffered cuts when he had to intervene after his French bulldog was attacked by another dog fears a child could be next.

Stephen Woollard, of Petunia Avenue, Minster, Sheppey, was walking his beloved pup, Louis, when a large pit bull-type dog ran towards them from an open front door.

The dog lunged at nine-year-old Louis, biting his chest twice.

Mr Woollard said he had no choice but to wrestle his pet free, only for it to attack again, this time sinking its teeth into his dog's neck.

He described it as "like fighting with Arnold Schwarzenegger".

"I had to throw myself onto the dog and try to wrestle it to the ground," the 59-year-old added.

"It would not let go and I thought it was going to maul little Louis to death."

Mr Woollard, who is retired, had been walking along Cornflower Way, Minster, on March 1 when the dog, which had no collar, sped across the road.

After the attack, he immediately took Louis to a vet to treat his wounds, which he said could have been much worse had it not been for his harness.

He continued: "We called the police and the Swale council dog warden. The dog warden said there was nothing they could do which was upsetting to hear as the experience was terrifying.

"A dog attack is always one of those things you only see happening to someone else, I never thought it would happen to us.

"Just down the road from the attacking dog's house is a playgroup. It frightens me to think that this could and probably will happen again, but maybe with a small child."

Mr Woollard, who was also injured, suffering cuts to his face and ear, explained that he did not want the dog to be put down but did want the owner to take some responsibility for what had happened.

He said: "I have tried to see the logical side of what happened but the dog literally came out of nowhere. There was no build up, it just happened.

"It is owned by a young man and they probably love that dog as much as I love Louis.

"He did tell police he wanted to get in touch with me to say 'sorry' but there has been no offer to pay for vet bills."

Louis, who needed £146 worth of treatment, is now on the mend physically but mentally has been suffering from trauma.

Mr Woollard said he had been told the man was not able to contribute even a small amount of money towards Louis's care because he had no job and would have to ask him mum for the cash.

He continued: "We were heartbroken. I could've lost my tiny little dog that day but there has been no responsibility from the owner – he just wants to say 'sorry' over the phone.

"My dog is my baby. If it was my child, I would have done the same thing, and if I hadn't Louis might not be here with us today.

"The vet said I was very brave and if I hadn't stepped in Louis would've died without a doubt."

Mr Woollard has had Louis since he was a puppy and said he was a very placid, loving little dog.

A Swale council spokesman confirmed Mr Woollard had reported the dog attack.

They added: “We advised him to report the incident to the police who deal with any alleged banned breeds.”

A police spokesman said: "Kent Police is investigating a report of a dangerous dog incident in Cornflower, Minster-on-Sea.

"It is alleged a man was walking his dog during the afternoon of Tuesday, March 1, when it was bitten by another dog that ran from a nearby property.

"Officers have contacted the victim and are investigating the circumstances. Anyone who witnessed the incident should call the appeal line on 01795 419119, quoting reference number 1-0864."

"If the dog was a banned breed the police should have acted there and then."

Meanwhile, Mr Woollard warned there could be a repeat attack.

"Something needs to be done as this will happen again," he said. "The police's lack of help is where our pain comes from.

"If the dog was a banned breed the police should have acted there and then.

"As well as this the police do work with the Swale dog warden so they should've contacted the warden and talked to them and say if it was a banned breed or not so the warden could go to the address and investigate the matter.

"It's like no one cared."