what would you do? (neighbour's dog running free and attacking other dogs)

Fairly recently we've had a new family move in opposite us, they seemed quite nice, and to be honest we didnt see much of them ,then we started to hear about a dog that was , apparently attacking other dogs in the park , including an old mans dog who was quite badly hurt , needless to say the old man himself was very badly shaken too, but nobody seemed to know who this dog belongs to , then by chance while out with my friend she said theres that dog , and as you've probly worked out it belongs to this new family , since then i've made a point of keeping an eye on things , the dog in question is never walked on a lead, the man whos usually with it will if he sees you in tme take the dog back indoors, ( but what if he dosnt see you ) i think the dog looks like a pit bull type, i dont want anything nasty to happen but i do feel the bloke should be responible for his dog , and im concerned that he might hurt gemma ,should i report him if so who to i dont want the dog hurt or taken away or anything like that, i just dont want him to hurt anybody . what do you think i should do

Have a chat with your local dog warden He/She may have a quiet word with them.

Phone the Police and/or council dog warden.All dogs in the UK must be under control and not be allowed to attack others or people.

Had a similar situation happen to myself (I own SBTs), neighbour had 3 bulldogs (would be classed "of the type") anyway they were always off lead and attacked 3 dogs before attacking my SBT bitch when she was a pup. They went on to attack a few more dogs before one was taken away and PTS. He was allowed to keep the other two and eventually moved away when the same pattern emerged.

What enraged me was the fact that the dog warden and the police WERE contacted on each occasion and really didnt give two hoots. They basically told us unless the dogs attacked a person there was very little they could do apart from warn the guy. The only ones I feel sorry for are the dogs, not their fault they have an idiot owner if you think the dog is an APBT it will more than likely get PTS. My only problem is that with a responsible owner the dog could would not be a problem he is a nuisance in his current home but does he deserve to be PTS? Difficult question if he remains with them and they refuse to do anything then sadly yes but if he is in another home where they are aware of his faults and manage them then it doesnt have to be the only option, is there any way you could persuade the owners to think about what is happening maybe mention they could be fined or their dog could be PTS if they dont be more responsible and have it on a lead? Try talking with them first...

Thanks to everyone who replied to this post , as i said the last thing i want is for the dog to suffer its not his fault , who his family are , but i will have a word with our dog warden and ask them to maybe have a word, but frankly i dont think , it will do any good .but fingers crossed , will keep you posted , by the way i hope nobody took it personel when i said pit bull type , no offence was meant, as i well know theres good and bad in all things .