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Pet dog mauls 11-month-old baby
Last updated at 15:52pm on 04.10.06A baby boy was recovering at home today after being savaged by a Staffordshire bull terrier.
The 11-month-old boy was attacked by a family pet at a house in Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, at teatime on Sunday, police said.
The child, who has not been named, suffered facial injuries and was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley after the attack at Divernia Way.
He was later transferred to Glasgow's Yorkhill Hospital but was discharged yesterday. The pet was put down following the attack, Strathclyde Police said.
A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "We can confirm that an 11-month-old boy was brought to the Yorkhill Royal Hospital for Sick Children to be treated for a dog bite.
"The child has now been discharged from the hospital."
It is understood the baby boy was staying at his grandmother's house when the attack happened.
The baby's mother, Michelle MacKenzie, lives across the road from her mother in Barrhead's Divernia Way.
One of Michelle's neighbours said she had lived in the flat for about five years and her son spent most weekends across the road with his grandparents and uncle, to whom the dog involved in the attack belonged.
He said: "I was away on Sunday but I know Michelle usually takes the boy over to her mum's.
"I see them walking the dog up and down but it's never let out on its own."
The attack comes in the wake of the death of a five-month-old baby girl who was savaged by two Rottweilers at a bar in Leicester last month.
She was mauled by the guard dogs in the living quarters of the Rocket pub in the New Parks area of the city.
Three days later a toddler needed more than 200 stitches after being attacked by his grandmother's Rottweiler at Middleton-on-Sea, near Bognor Regis, West Sussex.
Doreen Graham, of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said: "This is really out of character for a Staff. They are usually fantastic with children and are known as the 'nanny dog'.
"There's a temptation to target specific breeds that aren't covered by the Dangerous Dogs Act.
"But the bottom line is all dogs are dangerous in the hands of an owner who doesn't know how to handle them or if the dog feels threatened."
Ryan O'Meara, editor of K9 Magazine, said: "We need far more education on what provokes dog attacks, which is why we want the Government to bring in a suitability certificate, or a 'doggy driving licence'.
"That would require dog owners to sit a basic exam to show they are aware of their responsibilities towards the animal and other people."
