01 October 2025 , 22:42
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A toddler has been rushed to hospital with "severe injuries" after she was attacked by a dog in her local park.
The owner is believed to have fled the scene before police arrived, moments after the three-year-old girl was mauled by the animal. The attack, which took place around 12:50 pm today in Rectory Fields in Ealing, west London, left the girl needing treatment for severe leg injuries.
No arrests have yet been made, but police are asking anyone with information to come forward. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “Officers are investigating an alleged dog attack which occurred at around 12:50 pm on Wednesday, 24 September in Rectory Fields, Ealing.
“A three-year-old girl was taken to hospital by the London Ambulance Service where she received treatment for severe injuries to her leg. It is believed the owner of the dog left the scene before police arrived. No arrests have been made at this stage."
The force asks anyone who has information relating to the owner of the dog, or witnessed the incident, to contact the Met via 101, quoting 01/8008839/25.
The attack comes two months after another three-year-old girl was left traumatized after she was viciously attacked by a dog outside a primary school, with the animal "ripping open" her skin - and again the owner fled the scene. Rowen Skinley was walking his three children home when a Cockapoo suddenly lunged for his daughter Bunnie in Rainham, Kent.
The attack happened near Miers Court Primary School and left the young girl with severe skin injuries. While the dog and its owner quickly made off from the scene, members of the public rushed to help Rowen and Bunnie. The three-year-old was taken to hospital where she underwent plastic surgery.
According to dad Rowen, who says he had to "hold the skin on [Bunnie’s] arm together" while she awaited treatment, the dog was a small, sandy-colored Cockapoo. Kent Police confirmed officers are investigating.
Rowen said: "It happened parallel to the school on the main road. I was just walking home after the school run. The path is quite narrow, and a woman was walking her dog on the actual road itself.
"Then, out of nowhere, the dog just lunged for my daughter and pulled her to the floor. The owner managed to pull the dog off, but when she did that, it ripped her skin open. I was so shocked. All I had to stop the bleeding was my hands. I had to basically hold her skin together."
Witnesses rushed over to help Rowen - but the owner quickly left the scene, he claims. Rowen said: "People who saw what happened came over and said that my daughter hadn’t even put her hand out to the dog. The woman just disappeared. She didn’t leave any details or anything."
Bunnie was rushed to Medway Maritime Hospital and then transferred to St Thomas’ in Westminster the next morning. There, she had several X-rays to ensure the puncture hadn’t hit her bone, before undergoing plastic surgery.
According to her dad, Bunnie has been left shaken following the incident. She will need to return to hospital within a week for a check-up, and to assess whether she will need further work done. Rowen said: "She’s doing well now. She’s just a bit shaken and keeps talking about how scared she is of the dog.
"She also has a lung condition and really bad asthma so she had to be marked down as a high-risk category for sedation. It’s really upsetting that the woman didn’t stop because it makes you fear for the safety of other kids."
World Affairs Correspondent