A guard dog attacked a customer at a specialist car dealership in Cross Hills, a court heard.

Brian Taylor spent two days in hospital and was off work for three weeks after being savaged by the German shepherd dog at the Airedale Business Park, on June 13.

Mr Taylor, who had been inspecting a car he was about to buy, was repeatedly attacked by the dog which had slipped its chain, Skipton Magistrates heard.

He was rushed to hospital by ambulance, had to undergo muscle and skin surgery, suffered severe trauma and needed counselling after the attack, the court heard last week.

The dog, which had been brought in to help protect the high performance cars, including Porsches, Bentleys and Lamborghinis, also turned on its owner and escaped from the back of an RSPCA van.

The court heard that others at the Keighley Trade Centre compound at the time had to be herded into the showroom for their own safety.

The dog was destroyed on the same day with the agreement of its owner, Mohammed Shabir.

Shabir, 29, who pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dog which was dangerously out of control, told the court that the business had suffered security problems with people breaking in and stealing the cars. “On this day, he broke his collar and by the time I noticed he had attacked the man,” he said.

The court heard that Mr Taylor, who had put down a deposit on a car, had seen the dog as he had driven into the compound.

Prosecuting, Stephanie Waite said Mr Taylor was inspecting the car he was intending to buy, when he heard a noise behind him.

“He leapt to his feet and turned to see the Alsatian dog lunging towards him. It bit his left arm and shook him violently,” said Mrs Waite.

Mr Taylor shouted at the dog and got his arm free but the dog made a second lunge for him, this time going for his hips.

Mrs Waite said Shabir tried to get the dog off but struggled to restrain it because it had no collar.

He eventually pulled it off by the scruff of its neck and told Mr Taylor to get back into his car.

“He got back into his car and various other people were ushered into the showroom for their own safety,” said Mrs Waite.

An ambulance was called and Mr Taylor was taken to hospital where he spent at least two and possibly three days being treated for serious injuries to his left arm and to both hips.

The court heard that when Shabir was interviewed by police three days later, he accepted that he was responsible for the dog at the time of the attack.

RSPCA inspectors had been contacted by police to remove the dog but it had escaped from the back of the van.

Shabir had also been injured by the dog before signing a disclaimer agreeing for the animal to be destroyed. Shabir, of Fern Street, Keighley, said a compound had now been built for the dogs and he confirmed that the original dog had been destroyed the same day.

Magistrates, adjourned the case to see photographs taken of Mr Taylor’s injuries.