Family of savaged boy demand change of dangerous dog laws
UNITED KINGDOM -- THE parents of a toddler savaged by a dog are demanding a crackdown on dangerous pets after teenager Jade Lomas-Anderson was mauled to death.
Stacey Drury and Anthony Guess told last night how two-year-old son Keiron is recovering after almost being killed by a neighbour’s dog.
And they said Jade’s death showed Britain’s dangerous dog laws need an urgent overhaul so that owners are brought to justice when their animals attack.
Stacey, 23, said: “Owners cannot be prosecuted if their dog attacks on private property.
“This means that legally no one was responsible for what happened to Keiron, and probably no one will be held responsible for the horrific death of Jade.
“Our goal is to see owners prosecuted regardless of where their dog attacks someone.”
Anthony, 26, added: “We’ve got to make owners accountable for their dogs’ actions.
“It was a miracle Keiron survived his attack, this time a young girl has died. We’ve got to do something, this can’t keep happening. These laws need to be changed, now.”
Keiron needed life-saving surgery after he was attacked by a Staffordshire bull terrier in a back garden near his home in Swindon, Wilts, last June.
He lost the sight in his left eye and had an ear bitten off.
The dog was put down but no one was charged over the attack.
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| Keiron just after the horror attack |
Stacey and Anthony joined forces with The Sun to campaign for new laws to prevent a repeat — and last month legislation was passed meaning all dogs must now be microchipped.
But Stacey said Jade’s killing by a pack of dogs this week in Atherton, Greater Manchester, brought memories of Keiron’s attack flooding back — and showed the new law does not go far enough.
Stacey said: “It was horrible to hear about Jade, we were both really upset. It makes us think how lucky Keiron was to survive. We’ve been to hell and back, but at least he is alive — we still have our son. Our hearts go out to the family of that poor girl.”
Keiron’s injuries were so severe that doctors gave Stacey and Anthony the chance to say goodbye to their son.
Stacey said: “I couldn’t kiss his face, it wasn’t there any more, so I kissed his stomach and told him, ‘Mummy loves you’.”
Surgeons spent ten hours operating on Keiron to save his life, then put him in a coma for a week to give his tiny body a chance of recovering. But he amazed medics by battling through, and has since undergone TEN operations to rebuild his face.
Keiron, who has a four-year-old brother Mackenzie and a baby sister Holly-Marie, still faces another series of ops — including one to reconstruct his ear.
Stacey said: “We were devastated to learn he would never be able to see out of his left eye, and that’s it for the rest of his life. But we focus on the fact he survived.
“Hospitals have become a way of life for him and he never complains. After the attack he had terrible nightmares and sudden bursts of anger. He may need counselling when he gets older, but for now he’s back to his old self — a happy little boy.”
Scaffolder Anthony said: “The surgeons performed miracles. They not only saved Keiron’s life, they’ve given him back his face.”
(The Sun - Mar 28, 2013)
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