Dog that mauled girl, 3, as she played outside pub was banned breed
A dog that mauled a three-year old girl in Merseyside was a banned breed, it has been confirmed.
Merseyside Police were called to an incident in Kirkby town centre following reports a dog had bitten a child in the face. The youngster was taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital for treatment for her injuries, which were initially described as serious but not life-threatening.
A spokesperson from the force confirmed to the Liverpool Echo on Monday that the dog in question was a Pit Bull breed - one of four banned breeds in the UK along with Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro's.
Police added that the girl has since been discharged from hospital. A woman who witnessed the terrifying ordeal, meanwhile, told the publication the incident occurred while many were out enjoying the sunshine. The woman added that she had seen the girl dressed in "pretty pink" earlier in the day, playing outside a local pub with a hula-hoop.
She claimed "a big dog was outside the pub" and, although it was on a lead, it was repeatedly having to be restrained by its owners. The owners, who also had a puppy with them, were "happy for people to come over and pet the dogs", she added.
Girl, 4, mauled to death in dog attack pictured as neighbours hear mum's screams
The little girl was playing with a hula hoop before the attack, witnesses claim (Liverpool Echo)The woman also claimed the young girl "stroked the bigger dog once, then stroked it again", at which point she was then attacked and "screamed". She continued: "They [the owners] did try and pull it back and it was on a lead at all times. The dog had water and had been fed, and had been petted throughout the hours that it was here.
"We even said, these dogs shouldn’t be in this situation. It was chaos. She said she was shaken to see a girl who, just moments earlier, had been having such a fun time, in such pain."
A 31-year-old man from Ormskirk, meanwhile, was arrested on suspicion of affray and having a dog dangerously out of control in a public place, He has since been bailed. It is understood the dog will be humanely destroyed.
Chief Inspector Jim Wilde said: "This was a horrific attack which has left a young girl receiving hospital treatment for significant injuries to her face. I want to reassure people that she is currently receiving the best possible care and treatment for her injuries at Alder Hey, and we hope she makes a speedy recovery.
"We seized the dog at the scene, which will now be humanely destroyed, and extensive efforts are now underway to establish exactly what happened. I want to appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident, who may have information which could help us with our investigation to come forward as soon as possible.
"You may even live locally and have CCTV, or have been passing in a vehicle and captured dashcam footage – if so, we want to hear from you. This case highlights in the starkest terms the potential dangers of dogs, and I would appeal to anyone with information about dangerous dogs in their area to contact us so that we can take proactive action."
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