A father was left with horrific injuries after he was brutally mauled by his family’s American bulldog a year after it had attacked his nine-year-old son.

Alexander Wyness said he feels lucky to be alive after his dog Sonny turned on him during a walk in the park.

The 36-year-old has told how the dog pounced on him with no warning or provocation and locked its jaws on both his arms, narrowly missing a main artery and leaving him with 18 deep puncture wounds.

Attack: Alexander Wyness (left) said he felt lucky to be alive after he was attacked by his dog a year after it attacked his son (right)

Vicious: Two-year-old American pitbull Sonny attacked Mr Wyness during a walk in the park

The father-of-one has also revealed the dog had mauled his son, also called Alexander, as he played in a tree last year.

The attack left the youngster, then aged nine, in hospital with nasty injuries to his arms, but Mr Wyness said he kept the dog after his son begged him not to get rid of it.

Mr Wyness, from Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, said: ‘This is a dog that I used to allow to sleep in my bed and be around young children. I feel very lucky to be alive.

‘I realise now that these dogs are not designed to be house pets due to their size and strength. They were designed to pull down cattle.

‘I’m just glad it happened to me and not the child of some innocent passer-by.’

Scars: The dog locked its jaws on both his arms, narrowly missing a main artery and leaving him with 18 deep puncture wounds

Injuries: Mr Wyness has said dogs such as Sonny ‘are not designed to be house pets due to their size and strength’

Mr Wynessr had visited a park with two-year-old Sonny and his partner Fiona Stewart when he let the dog off his leash to run around in a nearby field.

The dog however ran out of the long grass and began viciously snapping at his arm.

Mr Wyness said: ‘I thought he was just overly excited and playing about but we quickly realised that he wasn’t.

‘Sonny tried to get a hold of my neck but I held my arms up in defence. I shouted to Fiona to call the police and an ambulance.

Damage: The clothes worn by Mr Wyness on the day he was attacked by the dog

‘Sonny kept biting at both of my arms and was vigorously shaking his head about. I knew that if he managed to fully lock his jaw on my arm and shake his head, he would have ripped my arm off.

‘I tried to kick him off but it took several kicks from Fiona to get him off.

‘For a few seconds, he appeared calm and he was just sitting in front of me panting, covered in blood.

‘All of a sudden he went for me again and managed to get a strong grip on my right bicep, tearing a chunk from it.

Injuries: The dog narrowly missed a main artery and left Mr Wyness with 18 deep puncture wounds after it attacked him

‘He then locked his jaw on the right inner forearm, ripping a huge hole. I started to feel weak because of all the blood I was losing.’

Mr Wyness managed to get up and hold Sonny off before taking him by the lead to a nearby goalpost where he tied him up.

The whole attack lasted ten minutes and left Mr Wyness with massive scarring and no feeling in his right forearm because of extensive nerve damage.

He told police what happened while in the back of an ambulance and gave permission for his dog to be put down.

He was taken to hospital where he spent two days being treated for his injuries.

Mr Wyness said: ‘I bought Sonny as a six-week-old pup as a present for my son’s birthday. This was his second chance after he had bitten him.

‘I should have got the dog put down after he attacked Alexander but he didn’t want me to as it was his dog.

‘I now think that only people who have the right environment for these breeds should have them. They are not suitable pets especially with young children about.’