A woman whose son was mauled by a Rottweiler has issued a plea for dog owners to keep their pets on leads after her son was left with scarring and nerve damage.
The 12-year-old suffered horrific puncture wounds to his left forearm during the vicious unprovoked attack.
Eyewitnesses saw the large dog sprint across a road before it launched its attack on the youngster.
The boy had been walking to a park to meet a friend when he was pounced upon.
Nearby workmen saw the attack and raced to chase the Rottweiler away before lifting the boy over a wall to safety.
The boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was taken to hospital for surgery but was left with scarring and nerve damage.
Nicolas Stewart, 28, of Ayr, was convicted of failing to control the dog at Ayr Sheriff Court in March this year and fined £300.
The Rottweiler was later ordered to be put down.
The victim's mother is now calling for people to keep their dogs on leads.
She said: "No one wants to see a dog destroyed but the authorities must have had reason to believe there was a future risk.
"What is strange to me is people who adopt dogs from charities have to go through screening, background checks or home visits.
"Yet when buying a dog privately or online, any person can buy any dog without any checks.
"At the very least, keeping a dog on a lead in public places is a reasonable place to start in responsible dog ownership.
"What happened could have been much worse and I hope people learn from this.
"The nurses said they'd never seen a dog bite like it.
"Before the attack my son was the biggest animal lover in the family but that's now changed he's now even wary around dogs he's known for years like his gran's dogs."
The boy said: "I was just walking when I heard a car horn and when I turned round the dog was on me.
I don't remember much but it was really scary. "I don't have much feeling around the bite marks and when I touch the skin it's like I'm touching someone else's arm.
"I definitely don't like dogs anymore and now I cross the street if I see any dog coming towards me and I don't like going to the park or beach where I see dogs off a lead."
His mother added: "I am firm believer that bad dog breeds do not exist but bad dog owners do.
"What happened to my son is proof of that and I hope people learn from this to stop future tragedies."
Damian White, partner at Digby Brown in Ayr, added: "What happened to this young boy was truly traumatic ` he suffered serious injuries but psychological scars have their own lasting impact too.
"While this dog owner was prosecuted a conviction is not essential for people to seek damages in the civil court."
