UNITED KINGDOM -- A HORRIFIED mother has relived the moment she thought a crazed pit bull had ripped her daughter’s foot off.
Kirstie Hair was out with two-year-old daughter Kaylah when the dog sank its teeth into the tot’s left ankle – missing her main artery by inches.
Kirstie Hair was out with two-year-old daughter Kaylah when the dog sank its teeth into the tot’s left ankle – missing her main artery by inches.
The mum, 20, fought helplessly to drag the dog off her screaming child, but she couldn’t prise its jaws apart once they had locked on to Kaylah.
The dog, said to be a pit bull terrier, only let go when its owner called it off at Paisley’s Brodie Park.
Kaylah and her mother, who was also bitten on the hand, were left bleeding and in shock.
Kirstie said: “When the dog was biting my little girl, I thought it would kill her. You read about these kind of attacks and I was terrified it would also bite her face and neck.
“With the power in its jaws, I thought Kaylah would lose her foot. The doctors have said there is still a chance of infection but we’re just going to have to take it one day at a time.”
The incident took place at 6pm on Saturday. Kirstie said Kaylah normally loves her walks at the park. She added: “We go to the park often and see a lot of dogs around.
“But this dog came out of nowhere and bit into her shoe, before flipping her up into the air.
“When she landed, the dog took a second bite, grabbing her just above the ankle. The bite was so deep that you could see through to the bone later.”
The dog was called off by its owner, who then picked it up and fled.
Kirstie said: “I picked Kaylah up and ran home. But I was so terrified and in shock that I started being sick.”
Her mum Angela, 47, then rushed the pair to the Royal Alexandra Hospital. Kaylah was later transferred to Yorkhill Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow.
She was yesterday recovering at home after being treatment.
Police have issued an appeal for information on a pit bull-type dog and its owner, described as slim, white and in his thirties.
(Daily Record - Sept 12, 2012)
