UNITED KINGDOM -- Dazed and confused with blood pouring from her face, little Rebecca Learmouth is a victim of the latest vicious dog attack on Tyneside.
The six-year-old had been playing with friends near her home in Harbottle Street, Byker, when she approached a nearby dog owner to ask if she could stroke their pet.
After being told to stay away from the male Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Rebecca started to stroke the female.
But in a horror attack, the male dog, which was on a lead, turned and bit Rebecca in the face.
Mum Louise Cavanagh was left distraught when a neighbour came to her door cradling her youngest daughter. "With all the blood I thought she had fallen down and hit her nose, it was not until she said something that we realised how bad it was," said the 30-year-old.
"I just thought I have to get an ambulance here as quick as possible. I have never seen a dog bite but I never imagined there could be so much blood, it was all over the floor."
Rebecca, a Year One pupil at Byker Primary School, was rushed to hospital after the attack on May 29 and the following day underwent surgery to stitch up wounds between her eye and nose, on her cheek and in her mouth.
"She had to be put to sleep for the surgery and I was a nervous wreck, it was the worst time of my life," said Louise, who lives with Rebecca’s dad Dylan Learmouth, her other daughter Ellie, nine, and Dylan’s two sons.
"She was under for about 40 minutes to an hour, it was the worst wait. I just wanted her to be OK. It is not so much the scar but every time you look at it it’s a constant reminder of how she got it.
"I think it affected me and her dad more than it has affected Rebecca, she is taking it all in her stride.
"But we know what could have happened. If it had been any higher she could have lost her eye. If the dog had not been on a lead what would have happened? it makes you think ‘What if?’"
But the family are still waiting to see if police will take any action to stop the dog injuring anyone in the future.
Louise said: "At the end of the day I want something done, my child was lucky the dog was on a lead. If it had not been I dread to think what could have happened.
"We got a card off the owners saying sorry, the issue is not with them. At the end of the day you can only be so responsible for a dog, you cannot be fully responsible for a dog’s actions. I have no anger towards them."
Neighbourhood Inspector Louise Cass-Williams said: "We take all reports of attacks involving dogs very seriously and attacks on children are particularly distressing, but I wish to give reassurance that this is still very much an active investigation.
"The family have been kept up to date throughout and the officer overseeing it kept the family informed about when he will be back in touch and the action he intends to take in relation to this matter.
"As with any investigation it is crucial that all lines of inquiry are followed up and the investigation progressed diligently. We understand the distress this incident has caused to the family and would like to reassure them we are progressing the investigation and will ensure they are kept updated with developments."
(Evening Chronicle - June 9, 2012)
