A furious mum has demanded a danger dog destroyed after it bit her toddler daughter in the face so hard – it left a TOOTH embedded in her cheek.
Sixteen-month-old Lexi McCaffery was left with four puncture wounds, a split lip and a burst vein when she tried to cuddle the seven-year-old Japanese Akita.
The powerful pet clamped its jaws so tightly around her face that doctors had to remove a chunk of tooth that broke off and became lodged in her flesh.
Mum Gemma Garside, 20, fears Lexi will be scarred for life and has set up a Facebook page demanding that police destroy the dog, despite it being legal to own.
Angelic Lexi was attacked as she tried to stroke and hug the dog, called Thi, which was being cared for by a friend in St. Austell, Cornwall.
Mum-of-two Gemma said: “All of a sudden it went for her face. I screamed and it let go but her face was pouring with blood and it just wouldn’t stop.
“I can’t believe this has happened, I’m going out of my head over it. I haven’t slept and I keep having flashbacks.
“I think she will be scarred for life, although they may fade as she gets older.
“The dog needs to be put down and we’ll go through all the right channels not stop until it is. It’s a tragedy waiting to happen.
Gemma, who also has a four month-old daughter Lily, claims the same dog has lashed out at kids before, snapping at a baby’s face but failing to draw blood.
Her Facebook page, Justice for Lexi, has amassed hundreds of supporters.
The attack happened at the home of Gemma’s friend Sam Hooper, 30, who said she was looking after Thi as a favour for its owner and would never allow it into her home again.
The two women wrestled the animal away from Lexi before taking the little girl to hospital.
Sam said: “I look at Lexi’s face and I feel so bad. I feel guilty, like it’s my fault.”
Gemma and her friends fear that the owner’s four-month-old baby could also be at risk.
But Thi’s owner, who refused to be named, said: “She was beaten up as a puppy and I rescued her.
“She’s a lovely dog but she doesn’t like to be disturbed when she’s asleep.
“I’m a mum and of course I understand that it’s upsetting and if I had seen it happen, I would have had it Thi put down.
“The dog has been re-homed and, as far as I’m concerned, that should be the end of the matter. ”
Devon and Cornwall said inquiries are continuing with officers still trying to establish if the dog has been destroyed.
If not, the owner will be interviewed and magistrates will decide if the animal should be put down.
