Mother of toddler mauled by Staffordshire bull terrier ‘feared daughter would die’

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A terrified mother feared her toddler would die after she was mauled by the neighbour’s dog in an attack that left the little girl needing surgery.

The mum watched in horror as the Staffordshire bull terrier pounced on her two-year-old daughter as she played with a trike just a few metres away in a communal garden.

The mother-of-three leapt up and ripped the dog Marnie off her daughter - after it had sunk its teeth into her child’s cheeks and face.

The woman feared her daughter, now three, was dead as she “lay silently” in her arms and blood poured from her face.

The child was rushed to Bristol Royal Infirmary - where she underwent surgery to repair the deep puncture wounds on her cheek, lips and nose.

The owner of the dog, Lee Lewis, 50, pleaded guilty to owning a dog dangerously out of control at Bristol Crown Court in September. He was sentenced to a six-month jail term, suspended for two years, at Bristol Crown Court.

Matthew Comer, defending, said at the hearing: “He is horrified that his dog Marnie has injured a child. His dog has never exhibited aggression to him, his family or to any children before.

“The incident did happen. Mr Lewis is at a loss to explain why it happened.”

The family say they have been left traumatised by the incident

The child’s mum, from Redfield, Bristol, said: “I thought she was dead. I was in the front garden having a cigarette and chatting to my neighbour.

“She never leaves my side, and she was playing with a trike just a few metres in front of me.

“Marnie the dog came out into the communal garden, but [my daughter] didn’t go anywhere near him.

“She was just minding her business and playing with her toys,” she continued. “Out of nowhere, Marnie just lunged at her face, knocking her to the ground.

“I leapt up and ripped the dog off her, and she just silently lay there as blood poured out of her face.

“The world spun around me, it was absolutely terrifying. I was hysterical.”

The little girl was rushed to Bristol Royal Infirmary on 16 September 2021 after suffering severe facial injuries from the dog attack.

The tot, who needed emergency surgery, was left with 11 teeth-marks to her face, which medics feared could leave her permanently scarred.

The family had lived next door to the dog for more than a year but there had not been any prior concerns about its behaviour.

“She has been left traumatised,” the mum said. “She’s now very scared and doesn’t like being away from me.

“She was due to start nursery, but we had to postpone because she was so terrified.

“She became really angry after the attack; she stopped eating and it affected her potty training.

“She’s so young it’s difficult to know the extent of the emotional damage, but she’s had art therapy to help her process what happened.

“We had to rehome our two beloved dogs because I’m now so terrified of dogs.

“It’s had a huge impact on us as a family and I really worry about the long term damage it will have done.”