Vicious dog bites chunk of little girl Elsie’s cheek off
TSB News reports that a five-year-old has suffered life-changing injuries after her neighbour’s dog pinned her down and bit a chunk of her cheek off in a vicious attack.
Elsie, from Croydon, South London, was playing with her friends outside her home when the Staffordshire bull terrier attacked her, leaving her with wounds requiring three surgeries.
The horror attack took place at around 5pm on September 25 when Elsie and her sister Amelia, 9, were playing with friends in a secure area in front of their block.
Elsie’s mother, Kirsty, 29, said the attack only lasted minutes but it felt like a lifetime. ‘I can remember the feeling of panic, seeing the dog on her face. I can’t get that image out of my head,’ she said.
The mother rushed to her daughter and put her on her shoulder so the dog couldn’t get to her.
But the dog continued to jump at Elsie until they reached the safety of another neighbour’s house.
‘There was blood everywhere and a chunk of her face was wide open. A chunk of her cheek was hanging off and you could see inside her nose through the bridge of her nose,’ Kirsty said.
‘In the ambulance she was trying to fall asleep but the paramedics were talking to her to try to keep her conscious. She turned to me at one point and said ‘Mummy it’s ok but I’ve got to go, I’ve got to close my eyes now.’
The girl’s mother has revealed that as well as her physical injuries, her daughter has been left traumatised.
‘She doesn’t want to go out, particularly on public transport because she doesn’t want people to stare at her,’ she said.
‘She hasn’t been back to school since because she doesn’t want her friends to see her like this.’
The mother had been watching from inside when her neighbour’s dog was released into the area without a lead or muzzle on and charged directly at Elsie.
The children ran to a wall and climbed to safety but Elsie fell over as they ran which allowed the dog to grab her by the face.
The five-year-old was rushed to St George’s Hospital where she had to undergo surgery for four hours.
Since then, she has been under the knife again and her parents have been told she’ll be seeing a surgeon for the rest of her life.
Police have seized the dog and another belonging to the same owner. They remain in police kennels.
A 56-year-old woman was interviewed under caution on October 18 but no arrests have been made so far.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said its enquiries are ongoing.