Monday, January 30, 2012

Boy, 10, savaged by dog while playing football

UNITED KINGDOM -- A boy could be scarred for life after a vicious dog attacked him as he played in a park.

Mohammed Ali Kamal, 10, has undergone two operations to repair a huge hole ripped in his leg by the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.


The horror unfolded as the youngster’s family and friends were just yards away celebrating his sister Sofeya’s first birthday at their Miles Platting home. His parents, Irfan and Wendy Kamal,  heard their son’s screams and rushed outside to help him.

But the dog – which has been put down – then lunged at Wendy, 36, repeatedly trying to savage her legs.

The pair managed to fight the dog off – before it was able to sink its teeth into Wendy.

Mohammed, known as Ali, was left in agony – with a fist-sized lump of skin and muscle torn from his leg.

He was taken to North Manchester General Hospital by ambulance and later transferred to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital because his wounds were so severe.

The boy, a pupil at Park View Community School in Miles Platting, had a three-and-a-half hour operation to clean up his wounds and had to undergo more surgery last night.

His devastated parents still do not know if he will ever fully recover – and have been warned that he could need plastic surgery to try to repair the damage.

Ali is a promising footballer for Delamere Rangers FC, a club associated with Manchester City – and had hopes of a career in the game but now his parents don't know if he will play again.

Irfan told the M.E.N: “The dog just came from nowhere and started biting Ali's legs. I tried to push the dog away but then it turned on my wife.

“Ali's legs were in a very bad condition and he was in so much pain. The dog was very aggressive – it wanted to attack anyone. It seemed to have a taste for blood and tore a massive hole in his leg.

“It was one of the worst things to see in my life. It was sickening but Ali was so brave – he could have been killed.”

The attack happened as Ali played football with cousin Ben Boyd, nine, in a park area opposite his home on Sealey Walk.

Ben managed to escape without any injuries but was left distraught by the ordeal.

Mum Wendy added: “I'm still in shock now – it nearly took his leg off. To see your son like that is horrible.

“It makes me so mad to think this dog was on the loose and not with its owner. If you can't keep your pet under control then you shouldn't have one.

“Ali is doing OK in hospital – he was more upset about missing a match for Delamere than anything else.”

A police spokesman confirmed the incident, which happened at about 7.15pm last Thursday, and said it was being investigated. It is understood that the dog had escaped from a nearby garden.

The owner of the dog refused to comment when approached by the M.E.N, but said the animal has been destroyed.

(Manchester Evening News - Jan 30, 2012)