A mother has spoken of her family’s horror after her three-year-old son was attacked by a dog while walking in Belfast.
Alice-Lee Bunting said her son Keaghán has been left with permanent scarring and night terrors after he was pulled to the ground by a dog while he was out for a walk with his grandfather last month.
The terrifying attack happened at Prospect Park in the north of the city on March 25, and is now under investigation by Belfast City Council’s dog warden service.
Ms Bunting told the Irish News that she has since watched CCTV footage of the incident, which she said happened “in the blink of an eye”, and involved a dog thought to be a border collie/husky mixed breed.
“Keaghán and his older brother were with my dad and they passed a man with three dogs on a leash, and a woman with one dog,” she said.
“In the footage, you can see one of the man’s three dogs wagging its tail as it sees Keaghán. As they passed, this dog jumped over one of the other dogs and bit Keaghán’s hood, trailing him to the ground.
“It all happened so fast, in the blink of an eye, and my dad says all he can remember is trying desperately to pull the dog off Keaghán. My son’s face was bloodied from where the dog bit his face. It was a vicious attack, but I’m trying to be positive in thinking that it could have been worse. Had the other dog not been between them when it jumped at Keaghán, his wee face could have been destroyed.”
Ms Bunting learned of the attack in a phone call, before she rushed to hospital to comfort her son, who was treated with anti-biotics but no stitching, due to the swelling on his face.
“He will be scarred for life, but hopefully it will heal to the point it’s not too noticeable,” she said.
“Since then, he has been really nervous, and won’t sleep alone at night without waking up squealing in fear. When I comfort him he is shaking. I didn’t sleep myself for four nights after it happened.”
She added: “I just want confirmation that the dog that attacked him is put down, as it is clearly a danger, and another young child could set it off and be injured.”
A spokesperson for Belfast City Council said its dog warden service was made aware of the attack
“We are in contact with the child’s family about the case, which remains a priority for the service, and cannot comment further while this investigation is ongoing,” they said.
