These are the horrific injuries suffered by a two-year-old boy who needed 200 stitches in his face after being savaged by his grandparents’ collie dog.
Little Joshua Mann was gently stroking the normally-timid pet when it suddenly lunged at him and clamped its jaws on his cheeks.
He underwent emergency surgery but faces being scarred for life.
The dog was later put down and Joshua’s mum Lisa Mann, 23, is urging owners to be on their guard when youngsters play with their pets.
She said: ”Joshua was stroking the collie when it jumped up and bit his face. He had to have 200 stitches to his face.
”There was a laceration in one cheek through to the inside of his mouth that ran up to just underneath his mouth.
”There is another wound to his neck that was just millimetres from the main artery carrying blood to the brain. He also had cuts on the back of his head and on his back as well.”
The attack happened on Saturday as Joshua, who has been around dogs his whole life, was playing with his grandparents’ border collie at their home in Andoversford, Glos.
It launched a savage attack during which it clamped its jaws around the toddler’s head, causing huge lacerations to his cheek, forehead and jaw.
The youngster, who also suffered severe bruising, was rushed to Gloucestershire Royal Infirmary where he underwent emergency treatment and was given 200 stitches.
Joshua will have to undergo further surgery at the same hospital until he is allowed back home.
Lisa, of Broworth, Glos., yesterday issued a desperate plea for people to be aware of the dangers of owning dogs – even breeds which are considered ‘safe’.
She said: ”I really want people to realise you cannot trust any dog with children. It is not just pitbulls, rottweilers and the other dangerous breeds.
”You always need to be careful, any dog can turn and snap.
”I wouldn’t want to see any more children going through what Joshua has been through.
”Seeing him lying there in hospital was the worst feeling in the world, all I could see was all the blood.
”Looking back, he was lucky not to lose an eye or to be more seriously injured.
”The hospital has been absolutely brilliant with Joshua, he has had facial reconstruction surgery.
”When he came out of the operation I burst into tears because he looked so much better than he did before.”
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Was he playing with it or stroking it? Every story makes the dog out to be the savage. However a female dog will have a natural mother like instinct to protect a child even human children. In my experience being around dogs my whole life it is often that the child has done something, If these parents admit what actually happened then maybe just maybe others will learn! So i ask how many more innocent dogs will have to be euthanized before everyone realises that it might not acctually be the dogs fault?
even my frnd had to face the same situation… his three year old kid was injured to death by their neighbor’s pet….
Birth injuries fall into a specialist area of medical negligence law and require experienced solicitors to deal with all aspects of these, very complex and demanding cases. Our solicitors have helped many parents obtain medical negligence damages, which have enabled them to meet the needs of their children who have been injured at or during birth as well as helping mothers who have suffered whilst being pregnant or giving birth.
birth injury solicitor
Mother and infant can both suffer birth injuries during a difficult delivery.
If my dog did that to any kid id shoot the bastard