I WOULD like to say a huge thank you to all the people who helped me when I was attacked by a dog whilst delivering the Review on Allaston Road last week. I dread to think how much worse the situation might have been had you not all acted so quickly, so thank you. It is great to see that community spirit in Lydney is certainly alive and well.

Secondly, apologies to all those around the school who did not receive their Review. This was unavoidable given the severity of my wounds and the distress suffered by my daughter.

Thirdly, I want to appeal to all dog owners to be extra vigilant, especially in this extremely hot weather. The dog that attacked me had no previous history of aggression, he had been well fenced in but still managed to escape. Something snapped in him and I was one of the victims, the others being the distressed witnesses, including my 14-year-old daughter who is extremely upset and traumatised. She is now reluctant to go out in the woods or even walk to the bus stop and may never feel safe around dogs again.

So, when you are out with your pets and somebody asks you to control your dog please, please don't say 'oh he's fine, he won't hurt you, he's as soft as anything' because that day just might be the day that he's not fine, that he becomes aggressive and attacks, and we all know how serious the consequences can be. Please be a responsible owner and appreciate that not everybody is comfortable with dogs. If your dog does not come to you when called it is, quite simply, out of control.

– Review deliverer.