A three-year-old boy has suffered serious facial injuries and lost most of his top lip in a violent dog attack. The boy was attacked by a family member’s French Bulldog which resulted in him losing 60 percent of his top lip.
Since the attack in January, the boy has had a major operation to repair it but may need reconstructive surgery in future. His mum says he is now "really self conscious with the way he looks".
She has spoken out as part of Merseyside Police's Taking the Lead campaign, which aims to reduce the number of dog bites in Merseyside by offering important safety tips to all dog owners, including how to look after their pet, especially around children, which could prevent serious injuries.
The boy’s mum says: “My son was attacked by a family member’s French Bulldog when he was left unattended as the adults had left the room. It was very quick and a huge shock resulting in him losing 60% of his top lip.
“It took him a while to build up his confidence to eat and drink and start to talk again. Even though he’s only three he is really self conscious about how it looks. I think it’s really important that dog owners are careful with their dogs around children.”
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A little boy was attacked by a family member's French BulldogThe campaign is being supported by Merseyside Dog Safety Partnership (MDSP), the Police and Crime Commissioner, the Blue Cross, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, University of Liverpool, Royal Mail and local councils, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Mr Christian Duncan, consultant plastic surgeon at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust said dog attack injuries among children are extremely common.
He said: “At Alder Hey we see children with dog attack injuries several times a week. It is often the child’s face that comes into contact with the dog, so we treat lots of cheek bites and injuries on prominent parts of the face i.e. parts of the nose, lip and parts of the ear.
"These injuries can be life-changing. By raising awareness of both the risks and appropriate behaviour around dogs, I hope the Taking the Lead campaign can help reduce these kinds of injuries.”
An XL bully was destroyed at the weekend after it attacked a 60-year-old man, who suffered serious injuries to his arm and was taken to hospital.
The man was walking the XL bulldog along the road when it slipped from its lead and started acting aggressively before attacking him.
Merseyside Police, who attended Gateacre at 10.48am on Saturday, captured the dog before it was destroyed. In 2022, there were two fatal dog attacks in Merseyside. On Tuesday, March 21, 17-month-old Bella-Rea Birch was killed after she was attacked by a dog in her home on Bidston Avenue in St Helens.
The dog involved, which was humanely destroyed, was an American Bully XL, a legal breed not subject to any prohibitions under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. On Monday, October 3, Ann Dunn, aged 65, died following a dog attack at a house in St Brigid’s Crescent, in Kirkdale.
Five American bulldogs, which were inside the property, were handed over and humanely destroyed.
Police data shows that children under 16 are most likely to be the victims of dog bites and this risk increases significantly in the summer when more children are at home with their pets or around other people’s dogs, and are also spending more time in public spaces.
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Although parks and beaches have been identified as hot spots for incidents, dog bites can happen anywhere and most bites occur in the home.
Any offences that happen in private can be prosecuted in the same way as bites in public.
Inspector Katie Wilkinson said: “We know that during the summer holidays, when children are spending more time at home, the number of dog bites increases. By running Taking the Lead as the schools break up, Merseyside Police hopes to give children and parents the knowledge and skills to stay safe over the six week holidays and in the future.
"This will help to reduce the number of youngsters hurt by dogs and improve their understanding of dogs and their needs, regardless of their breed or size. We are determined to reduce the numbers of children and adults in Merseyside being hurt by dogs. It is crucial that we educate youngsters at an early age about how to be around dogs.
“Some of our simple messages includes not bothering dogs when they are eating their dinner or when they are sleeping and not approaching a dog you don’t know. If walking your dog out in your community, always make sure they are on a lead and consider whether they need to be muzzled.
"Dogs must always have access to comfortable and warm shelter, water, companionship and entertainment such as toys. Make sure that your garden or yard is always secure so that a dog cannot accidentally escape.”
Merseyside Police also has the highest number of reported dog bites causing injury of any police force in the country.
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