Family's horror after schoolboy mauled by pit bull mix

UNITED KINGDOM -- A SCHOOLBOY was taken to hospital suffering from bite wounds after he was mauled by a dog on a playing field.

Ten-year-old Luke Chadwick was on his bicycle playing with a friend on King George V field, off Outwood Road, Radcliffe, on Tuesday afternoon, when a brown and white dog, described as a Staffordshire terrier and pit bull cross, pounced.

It grabbed and pulled off Luke’s Converse shoe. As Luke stood up to retrieve it, the dog leapt up and sunk its teeth into his right arm, leaving two deep puncture wounds.

 

A woman at the scene, thought to be the animal’s owner, tried to halt the attack. She poured a drink over the animal, said “sorry” to Luke, and then dragged the dog away towards a wooded area opposite Outwood Road.

Terrified, Luke ran to his home in nearby Ringwood Avenue and alerted his distraught mother Louise.

Miss Chadwick, aged 33, said: “I was in shock. Luke was so upset and his arm looked so bad. I called for an ambulance and we went to North Manchester General Hospital and they transferred him to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital at 8pm.

Luke, who goes to Chapelfield Primary School, has had two operations. His mother said: “We don’t know how long it will before his wound heals. I think he will be in hospital until Friday at least.”

The incident has horrified Ms Chadwick, who is a dog owner herself. She has had to arrange for Luke’s two sisters to stay with relatives in Bradford while she stays at his bedside.

She added: “The worst part of it is that the woman didn’t make any effort to check Luke’s arm and to see how bad it was. She just went off.  Whoever she is, she needs to come forward to own up to what has happened. The last thing we want is for it to happen again to another little boy or girl.”

Detective Inspector Caroline Ward, of Bury police, said: “We need to trace both the owner of the dog, and the dog itself, so we can ensure that no one else is attacked or hurt in this way.

“I would particularly urge the owner of the dog to make contact with us. A young boy has been injured and both he and his family are extremely upset so please, do the right thing and make yourself known to police.”

The woman with the dog is described as being white, aged in her 20s or 30s, with dark hair and of a large build. She was wearing either shorts or a skirt and a cap.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

(The Bolton News - Aug 8, 2015)