A MOTHER who screamed in horror as a dog mauled her seven-year-old daughter has warned other families the "dangerous" attacker is still on the loose.

A Staffordshire bull terrier scarred the schoolgirl for life on Monday after clamping its teeth onto her leg at a playground in Valentia Road, Oxford, in a "shocking" attack.

Her mum, who did not want to be identified, was at the Headington park with her daughter and family friends when a man walking the white and brown creature sat down on a swing.

She said: "I could see the dog perk up watching her but its tail was still wagging. It moved towards her and ran and bit her.

"My daughter screamed and it backed off then went again, it bit her leg and was shaking her in its mouth. She fell on the floor and my friend and I were screaming and shouting to the man 'get out the swing, get the lead'."

She said she was unsure if the dog was on an extension leash or if the owner had dropped it, but she managed to swipe her daughter from the ground before the beast struck again.

She added: "It was so quick. The dog didn't bark or growl – it was a complete shock. I didn't realise it had penetrated the skin, I thought it had just ripped her clothes. When I picked her up my hand touched the blood and she started crying.

"There was a chunk missing – it's going to scar and she will have a nasty indentation."

The little girl had a skin graft at the John Radcliffe hospital after the animal tore her left leg.

The man, who police are yet to track down, allegedly apologised and walked off after the attack at about 2pm.

She added: "He is still out there. The dog is dangerous and needs to be put down but you can't blame the dog - something is not right with the way it's being treated for it to snap."

She wants to prosecute the man for failing to control the animal, adding: "That dog can do the same thing again to another child. My daughter is quite tall but with other children there could have been facial injuries."

Neighbour Kirstie Hutt, who herself has three Staffordshire bull terriers, said she and her two young girls Lexie and Charlie saw the man walking the dog shortly before the attack.

The 28-year-old said: "The girls were going 'mummy, doggy doggy' but I decided to stay on our side of the road – I just had a feeling.

"It needs to be put down. It's sad because it's not the dog's fault. Any dog can bite, it doesn't matter about the breed, it's how the owners bring it up. My dogs are babies - a balloon pops and they're under the table. They love children. This gives them a bad name."

Thames Valley Police yesterday issued a witness appeal for anyone who has seen the dog or the man, who was described as white and slim, in his late forties with collar-length greying brown hair.