A DOG owner has called for tougher laws after his retired racing greyhound was attacked by two Staffordshire bull terriers.

Bob Oakes, 55, was walking Misty when the terriers attacked – leaving both him and his dog with bites, cuts and bruises.

Misty, who used to race at the Oxford Stadium, was kept at the vets for more than 24 hours following the “unprovoked attack”, in Broad Oak, in Headington, Oxford.

Mr Oakes, from Leiden Road on the city’s Wood Farm estate, called on more to be done to tame dangerous dogs.

He said: “We were set upon for no apparent reason. My dog was on a lead and we were walking down a residential road.

“The Staffies were off the lead but apparently under control of the owners. It took four grown men and a large stick to get my dog free from the Staffies’ grip.

“The ferocity of the attack was something I have only seen on wildlife programmes.”

There has been a string of incidents in Oxford – largely in Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys – over the past two years, where dogs either attacked people or were encouraged to kill cats.

Mr Oakes, who runs a tax firm in Wallingford, said six-year-old Misty has been badly affected by the attack.

“She spent the night at the emergency vets to have many bites and lacerations treated and stitched,” he explained.

“Who knows what mental trauma she has also suffered? I was bitten in trying to protect my dog and had to go to A&E for treatment.”

RSPCA spokesman Nicola Walker, whose officers have been photographing dogs on estates to eliminate them from future inquiries, said it was down to owners to control their dogs.

She said: “In the hands of a responsible owner, bull breeds make absolutely fantastic pets.

“With good owners, dogs such as Staffordshire bull terriers and Staffie crosses make placid, faithful companions.”

However, Mr Oakes added: “They were originally bred to fight and have an in-bred aggression that may surface without warning.

“Action needs to be taken. At the very least this breed of dog should never be off a lead and must be muzzled in public.

“How many stories of such attacks do we have to read before the message gets home?”

Thames Valley Police spokes-man Victoria Brandon confirmed they were investigating the attack and urged any witnesses to call police on 08458 505505.