A 16-year-old schoolgirl from Liverpool has undergone surgery after a terrifying attack by a suspected XL Bully dog, which left her traumatised and with significant leg injuries.
A Walk in the Park Turns to Terror
Kerris Gledhill was walking her miniature dachshund, Mr Otis, through Croxteth Park on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 25. As they walked up Beversbrook Road, the teenager noticed a large dog in the middle of the street. She removed her headphones and stopped, not wanting to pass the animal.
"I locked eyes with the dog," Kerris recounted. A young boy attempted to call the dog back, but it initially listened before suddenly charging directly at Kerris and her pet. The powerful dog first seized Mr Otis by his harness, shaking him violently. Kerris managed to snap the lead and get her own dog to safety under a car, but the attacker then turned on her.
'Shaken Like a Toy' and Fighting for Her Leg
The dog latched onto Kerris's leg, its teeth sinking deep. "The dog was shaking me like I was a toy," she described. "Then it was pulling on my leg, it felt like it was pulling something out my leg." In that moment of extreme pain and fear, Kerris believed she might lose her limb. "My mind was blank... I thought he was taking my leg with him," she said.
After screaming for help, the dog eventually released its grip. Dazed and in agony, Kerris managed to pull herself along some railings to call her mother, Demi-Lee Gledhill, 32. "I just remember screaming down the phone," Kerris said, "it felt like a knife was being twisted in my leg."
Emergency Response and Surgical Aftermath
Demi-Lee described the panicked call as "the worst phone call a parent could receive." Rushing to the scene, she found her daughter lying on the ground, appearing "lifeless" and grey. She immediately drove Kerris and Mr Otis to her mother's house, where the extent of the bleeding prompted a frantic dash to Aintree Hospital.
Kerris, slipping in and out of consciousness, underwent surgery on Thursday, November 27. A check-up on Monday, December 1, confirmed the injuries were healing without infection, but significant damage remains. "The attack has left a dent in her leg and she has lost feeling in her thigh," Demi-Lee explained.
The psychological scars are also profound. An self-described animal lover, Kerris now suffers panic attacks when she hears barking while walking. Her dog, Mr Otis, remains visibly on edge.
Merseyside Police confirmed that a dog has been seized following the incident and is awaiting assessment. No arrests have been made at this stage, but enquiries are ongoing.
