A DANGEROUS dog has been confined to a cage because its owners cannot afford to have the animal put down.The Staffordshire bull terrier has been kept locked up since attacking Dave Potter at his Great Yarmouth home.

A DANGEROUS dog has been confined to a cage because its owners cannot afford to have the animal put down.

The Staffordshire bull terrier has been kept locked up since attacking Dave Potter at his Great Yarmouth home.

Mr Potter suffered cuts and bruising to his arm and elbow when previously well behaved pet Mister went wild on Saturday.

Since then the four year old dog has been caged apart from being let out briefly to feed and toilet.

Full time carer Mr Potter, 51, claims he does not have the money to pay the £200 bill demanded from Haven Veterinary Surgeons in Yarmouth to have the dog destroyed.

He said: “Mister is very aggressive and tries to force the cage open, he should not be kept in these conditions, but you cannot let a dog like that out.

“He was leaping at me trying to bite my face, but luckily I managed to fend him off with my arm.

“Money is very tight and we offered to pay the fee in instalments but were told it had to be a lump sum.

“I am terrified of the dog now and cannot even bear to be the in the same room as him, he may attack again now he has a taste for blood.”

“My wife has to let him out of the cage, but she is disabled and I am worried that he will go for her next.”

“We have had him since he was seven weeks old and there has never been a problem with him, I don't know what has happened, he must have gone mad in the head.”

Mister had tried to attack a teenage boy at Mr Potter's home and then badly bit his owner after being taken into the back yard about 15 minutes later.

The former builder reported the dog attack to the police and says he was advised to get a dog handler to look at Mister.

But when he contacted the borough council's environmental services Mr Potter was told dog handlers only dealt with strays.

The cage where Mister is being kept was previously used for him to breed with Mr Potter's other bull terrier Missy.

A spokesman for the RSPCA said: “There is financial assistance towards veterinary costs for people on low incomes. It is unlikely we would be able to pay the full amount, but some money may be available for Mr Potter and we would urge him to contact his local RSPCA branch.”

No-one was available for comment from Haven Veterinary Surgeons at the time of going to press.