THE fear of losing a child is enough to keep most parents awake at night.

One father was faced with this terror and had to act quickly when his child’s safety was threatened by two dogs in Malmesbury recently.

The animals, described as ‘Pitbull-like’ by police, chased him and his son down a street.

The diligent dad hoisted his child onto a nearby car to keep the dogs away, a move which could have proved life-saving.

Dogs are beautiful animals and millions of us treasure them as members of the family.

However it’s easy to forget they’ve evolved as hunters, and need to be kept on leads when near children, particularly if they have shown aggressive tendencies.

The incident in Malmesbury is a precautionary tale, but it could have been so much worse.

Chilling stories about children being mauled to death by dogs are rare, but they do occur and are devastating for families.

Here’s hoping dogs in question are kept under control next time.