Mother's torment: 24 years on, horror dog attack that killed daughter still haunts brave Veronica

UNITED KINGDOM -- VERONICA Lynch, whose daughter was mauled to death by rottweilers, thinks about Kellie every day and says she feels sick every time she hears of another dog attack.

Twenty-four years have passed since a horrific dog attack robbed Veronica Lynch of her daughter Kellie.

But she is still waiting for the tough action she wants to protect children.

And every time another youngster is maimed, she feels herself being dragged back to the nightmare day in 1989 when two Rottweilers tore Kellie, 11, to pieces.

Kellie, from Dundee, was walking the dogs for her dad’s friend on a holiday in Dunoon when they turned on her.

Veronica was warned not to touch her daughter at the funeral home in case her body fell apart.

She told the Record: “I think about my daughter every moment of every day. And every time another child is attacked, I get sick to my stomach.

“These terrible incidents keep happening and nothing seems to be getting done about it.

“I feel very, very frustrated. It’s like the powers that be are not listening – as if their ears are painted on.”

Veronica, 61, feels for the family of ­eight-year-old Broagan McCuaig – and every other family who suffer the anguish of a dog attack on a child.

She said: “What happened to Broagan was a nightmare. It will affect her the rest of her life. How many more children have to die or suffer horrific injuries in dog attacks before action is taken to prevent this happening again?”

Since Kellie was killed, Veronica has fought tirelessly for better dog control.

Her campaigning led directly to the passing of Scotland’s Control of Dogs Act, which targets the deed, not the breed and giving councils powers to crack down on dangerous dogs and their owners.

But Veronica believes far more needs to be done.

She said: “The laws in place just now are good, but only effective after the event. What needs to be done is that no one should be allowed to own a powerful dog in council estates or built-up areas.

“No dogs should be allowed out in public without a lead or a muzzle. If owners don’t obey the rules, their dogs should be taken away.

“We need a multi-agency approach, with enforcement and education. We also need to look at banning certain breeds which are dangerous.

“I think licensing laws and micro-chipping needs to be looked at, so we know who these owners are and what dogs they own. It’s a massive task, but we’ve got to do something before another child is killed or injured.”

(Daily Record - Nov 4, 2013)