Stuart Bennion was working as a plasterer at a nearby house when he nipped out to his van for some tools.
He saw 10-year-old Franchesca Whitehead being savaged by a Staffordshire bull terrier. The dog was biting her arm and dragging her around by the pony tail, in Chadderton, Oldham.
Stuart, 33, said: “I was working, and when I got outside I saw it before I heard anything. I saw her being pulled about a bit.”
By the time Stuart had bolted over to rescue Franchesca, she had been pulled to the ground by the dog.
Stuart added: “The dog wasn’t actually barking, just dragging her about, and the girl was clearly distressed. She was just outside a house enjoying playing with her friend.”
Stuart, from Rochdale, described how he had to punch the dog to get it to finally let go of Franchesca.
He added: “I just hit it with my hands, but I had to punch it a few times to get it off her. When I’d managed to punch it to let go, it went for me, but I wasn’t bitten or injured at all.”
Franchesca was taken to hospital and the police were then called to Dairy Street after the girl’s terrifying ordeal.
It’s understood Franchesca was at a friend’s house playing, where the family had recently moved in and the dog was unfamiliar with its new surroundings.
She was playing on the doorstep when the dog pounced on her, leaving her scarred for life.
Franchesca’s father, Anton, received a frantic call from the mother of her friend saying his daughter had been attacked.
Anton said: “She’s very upset and sore, the dog pulled her by her pony tail and then pulled her across the ground.”
Speaking about the heroic actions of father-of-two Stuart, Anton thanked him and said: “From what I gather he literally punched the dog away.
“I really thought this was going to be a fatality. The injury is horrific. If he hadn’t been there it could have been a lot worse.”
Franchesca is now back at home recovering from her ordeal.
(Manchester Evening News - April 12, 2015)
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