A four-year-old boy has been left scarred for life after being mauled by an out-of-control devil dog which tore off a chunk of his LIP.
Little Jonathan Bloor needed reconstructive surgery after having his face savaged by the crazed mutt in a park on Sunday afternoon (12/2).
Mum Gemma, 25, had been pushing her one-year-old baby Josh in his pram when Jonathan and his sister Chelsea, seven, ran ahead at around 12.30pm.
But when Jonathan fell into a ditch a brown Staffordshire Bull Terrier leapt from the woods and sank its teeth into Jonathan’s face.
The dog ran off back to its owner when terrified Chelsea screamed out in horror during the attack in Blurton, Stoke-on-Trent., Staffs.
Shockingly, the man ignored the agonising calls and left without stopping to check what his pet had done.
Jonathan was rushed to hospital where medics gave him reconstructive surgery but said he will be scarred for life.
Today (Fri) full-time mum Gemma, of Blurton, said: “We were walking along when Jonathan and his sister ran off ahead and I was behind pushing my baby’s pram.
“Jonathan fell over and so I turned to strap in my baby to go and help him up, but as I did I suddenly heard my daughter scream.
“I turned and saw this big brown dog sprinting from the woods. Then my daughter cried: ‘It bit him.’
“I sprinted over, the owner was calling ‘Come’ to the dog and it ran back to him. I saw blood all over Jonathan’s face, my stomach just turned.
“I picked him up and he wasn’t crying or showing any emotion – the shock had hit him.
“When I first saw him, I was screaming.
“I was horrified. I was in more of a state than he was. That’s the person I gave birth to and that’s the person I’m supposed to protect from harm.
“I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.
“The man must have heard, but he just walked off down the path. I couldn’t believe it, it’s sick.”
Gemma called her mum and together they took Jonathan to Royal Stoke University Hospital.
She said: “Doctors cleaned up the wound and they held the skin in place until a plastic surgeon could see it.
“He had reconstructive surgery in the morning and was in there for an hour-and-a-half.
“He had a few grazes and a puncture wound near his left eye, which didn’t require any treatment.
“The treatment was a success, but the surgeon said that the dog tore a muscle in his lip and that it would take a while to repair.
“It won’t fully realign and it will scar permanently. His speech has been affected. Other than that, he should make a full recovery.
“I feel guilty that I couldn’t stop it, even if I couldn’t control it. To know your child is going through that much pain is terrible.
“He has been a complete soldier – he’s been so brave. My daughter is distressed and traumatised.
“It’s something that’s going to stay with them for the rest of their lives.
“I don’t want this to happen to anyone else. I’ve walked that route many times without a problem.
“Lots of parents and their kids walk that route exactly the way we did, with their kids a little ahead of them.
“It’s best that I don’t say what I think of the owner. I would want more than an apology.”
Staffordshire Police confirmed they had launched an investigation into the incident.
A force spokesman said: “Officers visited the family involved on Thursday morning to check on the welfare of the injured child and, as a result, we are increasing the appeal to the public to see if they know any information.
“We are concerned for the welfare of the child involved and every effort is being made to find the dog and the owner.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Staffordshire Police on 101.
