A two-year-old boy was left with severe facial injuries after a dog attacked him in the beer garden of The Wulstan pub in Wolstanton, Staffordshire, on July 15. The incident occurred around 3pm, shortly after the toddler had been eating chicken nuggets and chips with his mother.
Witness Describes Horrific Scene
Philip Preece, a regular at the pub, witnessed the aftermath of the attack. He told The Sentinel: 'The mother ran into the pub carrying her child. He was in an absolute mess. You couldn't make out any of his facial features. He was covered in blood. His mum was too. So much was gushing out.'
Preece said the dog was 'some kind of Bulldog breed' and that the owner had not been using a lead before the attack. 'The dog ragged him up and down after biting his face. If the dog had gone a bit lower, it could have ended up biting the boy's throat,' he added.
Emergency Response and Hospitalisation
West Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed that an ambulance and a paramedic officer attended the scene. The child was rushed to Royal Stoke University Hospital for emergency care and has since been discharged.
Staffordshire Police are investigating the incident. A police spokesman said: 'We were called to The Wulstan following reports that a child had been bitten by a dog. Officers attended the scene alongside colleagues from West Midlands Ambulance Service. The child was taken to hospital with facial injuries. He has since been discharged.'
Appeal for Witnesses
Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact them on 101, quoting incident number 592 of 15 July, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. The investigation is ongoing.
Standard Bulldogs and French Bulldogs are legal in the UK, but the American XL Bully is banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act. The breed involved in this attack has not been confirmed.
