A mother and son have been reunited with their Staffordshire bull terrier, which had been kept in secure kennels after killing another dog.

Their dog, Summer, was threatened with being put down after it attacked a Pyrenean mountain dog, called Dylan, at The Gallops, near Brighton Racecourse, in September.

Dylan had to be put down three days later because of its horrific injuries.

A month later, Summer was seized by police and animal welfare officers.

Brighton and Hove City Council wanted magistrates to order the destruction of the bull terrier because of the seriousness of the attack.

But after reading reports from two dog behaviour experts who examined Summer, magistrates ruled a strict control order should be imposed instead.

Christopher Holmes, 18, who owned the dog at the time of the attack, admitted his dog had been dangerous and out of control.

Unemployed Holmes, formerly of Pervial Terrace, Brighton, and now of no fixed address, was banned from keeping dogs for five years.

Holmes transferred ownership of Summer to his mother, Susan Holmes, 39, of Birchgrove Crescent, Brighton, after legal proceedings began.

The dog was reunited with Mrs Holmes yesterday.

She said: "I am very pleased to get Summer back. I am really sorry about what happened to Dylan and feel so upset about it."

The control order states Summer must be muzzled and on a lead outside the house, including the garden, and can only be walked by Mrs Holmes.

Summer must be spayed within 21 days and attend an obedience training course within three months.