Mum Mellissa O’Hare, 31, said son Owen Maguire was playing in the front garden of their home on Corinto Street, Toxteth, on Tuesday afternoon when the dog bit him in the leg.
She said: “He was playing with a neighbour’s child and his sister and little brother. This lad came past with his dog on a lead and I had the decorators in so he stopped to talk to the decorator.
“The next thing I heard was Owen screaming. The dog must have had hold of his leg for 40 seconds, if not a minute.
“The lad dragged the dog off, stayed there for a minute and then got off and I phoned an ambulance.”
She added: “I can’t even really remember what happened because I was panicking so much but I remember having Owen in my arms, pulling his trackie bottoms up and there just being blood everywhere.”
The dog, thought to be a Staffordshire bull terrier, was later destroyed by police.
Owen was taken to Alder Hey Hospital and yesterday he was waiting for surgery on his leg.
Mellissa said: “The cut is right down to the bone. They’re not sure yet whether there is muscle damage but he is having to have surgery. He’s got bruised ribs as well where the dog has tried to drag him.
“I think he is in shock, he doesn’t want to see another dog and I don’t think he’ll want to go into the front garden when we get home.”
She added: “The man told the kids to stay away from the dog so he must have known it wasn’t safe.
“I think it should have been wearing a muzzle. If the owners knew the dog could be dangerous around children they should have had it destroyed before or given it to someone to look after it properly.”
Merseyside Police said officers were called to Corinto Street at about 12.50pm on Tuesday.
A police spokesman said the dog, which was not thought to be a banned breed, was handed over to police and destroyed.
(Liverpool Echo - Aug 29 2013)
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