Boy, 12, left scarred and scared after attack by Ayr man’s dog
A 12-YEAR-OLD child was left with nerve damage, multiple scars and a profound fear of dogs after being viciously attacked by a rottweiler.
The Ayrshire youngster, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was walking to the park to meet friends when the dog ran out of a nearby garden and latched onto his arm.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the Rottweiler sprint across a main road to tear at the youngster.
The child suffered multiple puncture wounds to his left forearm in the unprovoked attack.
The dog’s owner, from Ayr, was also said to have been too scared to intervene so the savage attack only ended after quick-thinking bystanders rushed in.
The child said: “I was just walking when I heard a car horn and when I turned round the dog was on me.
“I don’t remember much but it was really scary.
“I don’t have much feeling around the bite marks and when I touch the skin it’s like I’m touching someone else’s arm.
“I definitely don’t like dogs anymore and now I cross the street if I see any dog coming towards me and I don’t like going to the park or beach where I see dogs off a lead.”
The boy’s mother said:“I am firm believer that bad dog breeds do not exist – but bad dog owners do.
“What happened to my son is proof of that and I hope people learn from this to stop future tragedies.
“The nurses said they’d never seen a dog bite like it. ‘I am firm believer that bad dog breeds do not exist – but bad dog owners do. What happened to my son is proof’
“Before the attack my son was the biggest animal lover in the family but that’s now changed.
“He’s now even wary around dogs he’s known for years like his gran’s dogs.”
Following the attack, Nicolas Stewart, 28, from Ayr, was convicted of failing to control the dog at Ayr Sheriff Court in March and fined £300.
Damian White, Partner at Digby Brown in Ayr, added: “What happened to this young boy was truly traumatic – he suffered serious injuries but psychological scars have their own lasting impact too.
“While this dog owner was prosecuted a conviction is not essential for people to seek damages in the civil court.”