Lancashire boy garrotted by extendable dog lead

Isaac Hargreaves, 6, was left horrifically scarred after being garrotted by a dog lead

Dog owners are being warned of the perils of extending leads after a Lancashire child was left scarred for life in a horror accident.

Little Isaac Hargreaves was garrotted by the nylon cord of the device that tightened around his neck, as he peddled his bike in road outside his Lancashire home.

Blond-haired Isaac, six, was left with a deep bleeding gash around his neck caused by the lead which was being used by an owner exercising his pet.

The boy's father Darren Hargreaves, told how the freak accident happened, just yards from the family's modern home in a short cul-de-sac in Morcambe.

Darren said: "Our road is so quite we've always regarded as a safe place for children to play.

"Isaac loves riding circuits of the road with his brother which is why I thought it was unusual to hear him crying.

"I ran out to find him walking towards me from where it happened - just metres from the house - with terrible burn marks on his chest and neck.

"Isaac had cycled round a bend in the road and straight into an extendable dog lead.

"The owner of the dog was on one side of the road and the dog was on the other when the accident happened.

"The lead appeared to have caught Isaac’s shoulder and moved up to his neck as he fell backwards.

"If he hadn't been wearing his helmet, which cracked on impact, his injuries could have been far worse.

"Thankfully, Isaac has fully recovered but as a parent, it saddens me to think my beautiful little boy will have to bear the physical scars for the rest of his life."

Lancaster Council dog warden, Alison McGowan, said: "We would never recommend people to use this type of lead on the highway where dogs need to be kept under close control."

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