Jack Ayton, two, needed 20 stitches to his face after the Alsatian cross bit his nose, lips, cheek and eyebrows.
Jack needed emergency surgery and doctors said he was lucky not to be blinded in his right eye.
The terrifying mauling happened when childminder Laura Tonks, 23, took the youngster to visit a relative who owns the pet.
Ofsted-registered Miss Tonks took Jack to the home — thought to be her aunt's — after collecting him from his playgroup in Gloucester.
The dog pounced on him after Jack is claimed to have playfully pulled its tail.
Jack's mum Aimee, 21, said: "I had a phone call from the child minder to say, 'I'm so sorry, we're in A&E. Jack's been attacked by a dog. You have to come up.'
"I was in total shock, I phoned my dad and we rushed up there to see what had happened. I expected the worst, but it was more awful than even that.
"He was in surgery for 90 minutes — it was horrific. He was lucky not to have been blinded in his right eye."
Jack's granddad Phil Hicks, 44, added: "His eyebrow was open and his lip looked like it had another lip coming from it.
"Jack had to have about eight stitches in his eyebrow, another six on the left side of his lip and more inside his mouth.
"He was in a terrible state."
Aimee, a part-time support worker, now wants the dog to be put down to avoid further attacks.
But cops have said there is nothing they can do because the attack happened on private property.
Phil added: "We want the dog put down before it attacks anyone else, it's obviously dangerous.
"We want people to know what happened to us — Jack's devastated.
"He will be left with scars for the rest of his life, certainly. We don't know why Jack was taken to a house with dogs in — it was done without our knowledge."
Meanwhile, Miss Tonks — who is a mum of two — faces being interviewed by Ofsted and could lose her status as a registered childminder.
But she defended herself and claimed she had followed all the correct procedures before and after the attack.
She said: "I reported it to Ofsted as soon as I could. They are coming to talk to me.
"It's a really unfortunate thing to have happened. I would not become a registered childminder to purposely have a dog attack a child.
"I have two children — they are my life. I will probably be shut down now because of this.
 |
| Jack needed emergency surgery and doctors say he was lucky to not have been blinded |
"The family are not thinking what I am going through over this. I was the one who saw the attack and had to take Jack to hospital.
"I'm the one having nightmares about it."
Asked whether she thought it appropriate to take Jack to a house with a dog she added: "I spoke to Aimee and she'd said, 'Do what you like with him.'"
Jack was back in hospital today having his stitches removed under general anaesthetic.
A spokesman for Gloucestershire police said: "Our thoughts are with the child and his family at this time.
"It just goes to show that dogs and children don't necessarily mix.
"There is no criminal legislation that covers this type of incident on private land where the dog lives.
"We will be speaking to the parents to offer advice on possible civil action that can taken and to those who were responsible for the dog, to warn them of the dangers."
(The Sun - Nov 14, 2011)
