Sunday, July 31, 2011

Toddler is savaged by dog in pub garden

UNITED KINGDOM -- A TODDLER was savaged by a dog at a Hampshire pub.



Sonny Gray will be scarred for life following the attack, which occurred after he began stroking one of two American Cocker Spaniels belonging to an elderly couple on holiday in the New Forest.

Sonny, who is 21 months old, was discharged after treatment in hospital but had to return 24 hours later after his face swelled up.

Today his recovering at home in Romsey.

The incident took place at the Empress of Blandings pub in Romsey Road, Copythorne, on Monday.

His mother, Emma Gray, 26, said: “My partner, Mark Enis, took Sonny for a walk in the pub garden and asked an elderly couple if he could stroke their dogs.

“He’d been stroking one of them for about ten minutes when the other one suddenly lunged at his face.

“The people in the pub were lovely and cleaned him up but the bites were quite deep so we scooped him up and took him to hospital.

“It was such an unprovoked attack – he hadn’t even touched the dog that lunged at him. What really annoyed us is that the dogs’ owners didn’t even apologise or ask how he was.”

A police spokesman confirmed that officers were investigating the incident.

(Daily Echo - July 31, 2011)