Horrified father speaks out after eight-year-old is mauled by dog

UNITED KINGDOM -- A FATHER has spoken out after his child was mauled by a dog.

As reported in the Comet last week, eight-year-old Aaron was playing with his older sister at a park in Churchill Way, Shefford on the afternoon of July 28 when a man with two children came into the park with a Weimaraner type dog. As Aaron, who suffers from Autism and ADHD, walked towards the man, the dog bit his face. The man used his T-shirt to wipe away the blood before fleeing the park.

Aaron’s father, Mark, who has asked for his surname not to be published, said: “Aaron was out with his older sister in the small park nearby when we heard this almighty scream and Aaron came in covered in blood. We thought he had put his lip through his teeth as he had done that before.

“Blood was just pouring out and when he removed his hand, his mother just broke down. There were holes in his face, one of them was just gaping. I rushed to stop the blood and we called for an ambulance straight away. We were asked the most ridiculous questions, so I put the phone down and we drove him to hospital.”

Aaron’s father believes he had gone over to stroke the dog, “It is something that any child could do”, he said.

“The issue we have is not with the dog, it is not the dog’s fault, the man is in charge of the dog and it shouldn’t have been in the park. The issue we have is with this bloke; he left my son bleeding and didn’t assist.

“What people do not realise is that there are internal injuries. When we got to hospital they said they couldn’t seal the wound because we didn’t know anything about the dog and whether it had had its injections. The police gave the man 24 hours to hand himself in as we needed information on the dog but he didn’t come forward. People must know who this person is.

“It has upset the whole family. We are sure he is from the village and someone is covering up for him. It shows a terrible example to the children and has made Aaron afraid of dogs.”

The dog owner is described as a white man, in his late 20’s or 30’s, although Mark believes he could be older. He is around five feet nine inches tall.

Anyone with information should contact Pc Paulette Savage on the non-emergency 101 number.

(The Comet - August 21, 2013)