Boy (14) injured protecting pet dog in Conisbrough

The teenager was walking his dog with friends — a red Staffordshire bull terrier — in the outer grounds of Conisbrough Castle, a spokesman for South Yorkshire Police said.

A spokeswoman said: “He spotted a man and woman walking two Pit Bull type dogs, one white and the other white with sandy coloured patches, on retractable leads.

“The white and sandy coloured dog being walked by the woman managed to pull free from her grip and ran towards the teen with his dog.

“He picked his dog up to protect her from being injured, however the other dog lunged and bit him on his left hand causing puncture wounds that required treatment at hospital.

“The man and woman retrieved their dog and left the area without checking the victim or his dog were OK.”

The man is described as around 5ft 5ins, of a skinny build with short dark hair, while the woman is around the same height as the man with dark coloured hair and is of a large build.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the attack at about 5.30pm on April 22 to come forward.

Anyone who can assist is asked to call South Yorkshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 894 of April 22, 2018.