Dog attack victims in Oxford have declared new Home Office proposals which target pet owners “a step in the right direction”.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson yesterday announced plans which could force every dog owner to take out third party insurance in case their animal attacks someone.

The new laws would also force every owner to have their pet microchipped.

Ministers are considering introducing New Dog Control Notices for misbehaving animals – dubbed a “Dogbo”.

In January, the RSPCA, police and councillors called a summit following a string of incidents in Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys, Oxford, over the past two years, where dogs attacked people and were encouraged to attack and kill cats.

Last April, father-of-four Martin Debanks had to comfort his children after their cat Musk was killed by a dog near their home in Greater Leys.

Mr Debanks, 41, from Choswell Spring, said his nine-and-a-half-year-old pet was savaged near a children’s play area.

He said last night: “These plans are a step in the right direction and could not come soon enough.

“Something has got to be done about the rise in dog attacks on both people and pets.”

But Mr Debanks fears the new proposals would not go far enough.

He said: “If you have insurance you need to register your pet, but people breeding dogs for fighting won’t do that.

“They are just going to carry on, and it will drive dog fighting further underground.

“More has to be done to target those people.”

In July 2008, June Tyrell was walking her friend Sharon Walton’s pet dog near her home on the Northway Estate, in Oxford, when it was attacked by a Staffordshire terrier.

Toby, a Yorkshire terrier, needed 15 stitches for wounds to its neck and throat.

Last night Mrs Tyrell said: “I think this is a great idea. The attack was a terrifying experience for both Toby and me.

“Owners who have dangerous dogs have got to be responsible for their animals’ actions, and these plans will go a long way towards helping that happen.”

Research by the Liberal Democrats revealed that nearly 25,000 people across Britain, including 6,000 children under 10, needed hospital treatment after dog attacks in the past eight years.

The measures, part of proposed changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act, are aimed at tackling the growing problem of vicious animals being bred for use as weapons.

Mr Johnson said: “Britain is a nation of animal lovers, but people have a fundamental right to feel safe on the streets and in their homes.

“The vast majority of dog owners are responsible, but there is no doubt that some people breed and keep dogs for the sole purpose of intimidating others.

“It is this sort of behaviour that we are determined to stop.”