A dog owner has been reunited with his beloved pet he calls "his best mate" after it was condemned to death.
Colin Greaves, 53, faced having to have six-year-old pooch Geddy put to sleep after it bit a three-year-old boy.
The Jack Russell terrier was confiscated by police after nipping little lad on the nose inside a family friend's house while the toddler was visiting with his mum.
But the former trucker crowdfunded £2,475 fees to pay for an animal behavioural therapist and lawyers to avoid losing the animal.
"I'm there for you Geddy and I will bring you home," he vowed, as the pet was confined in kennels for six months pending a trial.
The terrier was eventually returned to his master after it emerged the boy did not require stitches and was treated with antibiotics.
In a statement, the boy's mum said: "I was on the phone in the kitchen when at around 3.15pm I heard a horrendous sound from the living room. I saw that my son was sitting on Colin's knee with blood everywhere.
"I could not see Geddy as he must have been shouted at and ran away.
"At first glance, it was clear my son had been bitten by the dog and was screaming and in a hysterical state. A lot of blood was coming from his nose and we grabbed tissues and water and we tried to clean the wounds as best as we could
"There was a cut under the eye and at the top of the bridge of his nose. Me and Colin were panicking, not knowing what to do."
Geddy was only allowed home on condition he undergoes three classes in dog behaviour management and is kept separate when he has visitors at his home in Great Sankey, Warrington, Cheshire.
At Sefton magistrates court, Greaves was ordered to pay the unnamed boy £100 compensation after he admitted having a dog dangerous out of control.
After the case he described the matter as a "ridiculous mess" while pictures subsequently shared on social media showed him back with his beloved pet.
The incident occurred in May after the boy and his mum popped round to see relatives when Greaves and Geddy were also at the house.
In her statement, the mum added: "There were lots of arguments between me and Colin who was being very defensive of the dog.
"We received a phone call from the police asking what happened but was Colin was saying, 'It's my dog and you will have to go through me to get my dog.'"
Inquiries revealed Geddy had previously bitten a family friend, other dogs and even Greaves himself.
The pet had also previously been muzzled and attended behavioural classes.
In police interview Greaves said he had momentarily left Geddy alone with the boy then heard screaming and rushed into the living room to find blood coming from the youngster's face.
Defence solicitor Steve Langton said in mitigation: "He is devastated by what happened.
"There was a dispute about whether the boy's mother had left the child in the room or whether Mr Greaves had left the child in the room.
"But he takes responsibility. He accepts that he should have taken greater responsibility for when the boy was there.
My instructions are that the circumstances have been exaggerated. Police have no issues with the dog's general behaviour."
Mr Langton said that there had been "very minor" incidents in the past with the dog, with the dog nipping his hand when he had tried to cuddle it when it was asleep which resulted in scratches and not bites.
"However, he accepts that greater care needs to be taken when there's a child in the house," the solicitor said: "The injuries are thankfully relatively minor but it's a three-year-old child.
"The injuries are very minor but clearly the child has been upset and cut.
"The child did not require any further treatment. The marks were clear in a week or two."
Greaves was fined £120 and was ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge of £154. The contingent destruction order on the dog specifies Geddy must be kept on a lead and muzzled in public.'
Greaves had sought the help of the campaign group Rocky's Army BSL and DDA.
The group was set up by the owners of a pit bull dog called Rocky that was seized by police in 2017 under the Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (DDA) but later declared exempt.
In a statement on Facebook, he said: "Finally, after six months in police custody. My best mate Geddy is being released back to me.
"Massive thanks for all the help in sorting this ridiculous mess out and massive thanks for your incredible support."
