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We stayed on one of the electric hook-up pitches with our campervan, but unfortunately it was essentially just a marked car parking space, so it wasn't the nicest pitch to stay on.
The main issue, however, was a very concerning incident on our first day. My 7-year-old son and I were playing football on the bowling green. There were clear signs in the park stating "No Ball Games", which is why we chose that area instead.
A dog from one of the static caravans ran over and tried to take our football before the owner came and took it away apologising saying she didn't realise he had got out of their van. Around 20 minutes later, the same Staffordshire Bull Terrier escaped again. This time it jumped up at me while I was holding the ball and attempted to bite it. Instead, it bit my chest and ripped through my shirt.
I reported the incident to the staff in the bar. Unfortunately, my initial experience was disappointing, as I felt they were more concerned about keeping the static caravan owner happy than dealing with what had happened. After several conversations and a phone call to the site manager, they eventually agreed to ask the owner to remove the dog from the site.
My biggest concern throughout has been that it could easily have been my son holding the ball instead of me. Had the dog bitten a child, the outcome could have been far more serious, and I believe the incident would have been treated very differently.
Because I have no way of knowing whether this dog has behaved like this before, or whether there have been previous issues with the owner failing to keep it secure, I reported the incident to the police. I felt it was the responsible thing to do, as I would never forgive myself if a child were seriously injured in the future and I had chosen not to report what happened.
Since the incident, the site has not contacted me to ask how I am, nor have they offered any apology or compensation for my damaged clothing. More importantly, my son is now frightened whenever a dog runs towards him, whether it is on or off a lead, which has had a lasting impact on him.
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