Dog destroyed after attack on young girl

A DOG has been destroyed after attacking a little girl in East Dorset on Saturday.

The girl was taken by helicopter to Salisbury Hospital, where she was treated for lacerations to her face. Her injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

A Dorset Police spokesman said the owner had subsequently signed a consent form allowing the dog to be put down.

Bournemouth mum Samantha Hallows had a message of hope for the child’s parents after the recovery made by her daughter Kira Neal.

Kira suffered severe facial injuries after being attacked by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier in the garden of a Bournemouth pub two years ago, when she was just 22 months old.

“Kira’s made an amazing recovery. She may need an operation in August, but because she’s so young, the doctors haven’t decided yet,” she said.

“She doesn’t remember anything about the attack because she was so young.”

Dog expert Denise Nuttall, who runs East Dorset firm Paws In Hand, offered general advice about the signals dogs can display when they are uncomfortable with children.

“It’s very important to understand a dog’s body language with children. If it’s uncomfortable, it may suddenly stand very still, or lick its lips,” she said.

“The dog will often avert its gaze, thinking, ‘If I can’t see you, you’re not there’. Dogs will also take themselves away from a child, and often the child will follow,” said Mrs Nuttall.

The impact of regularly socialising a dog with children could not be overstated, said the dog expert, who added that small children had a strange appearance to dogs, which could make them feel threatened.

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