Girl, seven, is mauled ‘by XL Bully’ dog while playing in the park and suffers injuries to her legs and head
- The dog was seized by Merseyside Police following the ‘horrific’ attack Monday
Police are hunting the owner of an ‘XL Bully’ dog following the ‘horrific’ mauling of a seven-year-old girl in Liverpool.
The child was hospitalised with injuries to her legs and head after being attacked by the animal at around 8.30pm as she played with friends in Gorsedale Park in Wallasey.
The dog was seized by Merseyside Police and efforts to locate the owner are ongoing. The animal is believed to be an XL Bully, which is not banned in the UK.
Police are now appealing for further witnesses to come forward, as well as anyone with footage that may assist the investigation.
Officers have carried out house-to-house enquiries and are analysing CCTV footage in the area.
The child was hospitalised with injuries to her legs and head after being attacked by the animal at around 8.30pm as she played with friends in Gorsedale Park (pictured) in Wallasey
The schoolgirl was taken to hospital for treatment of her injuries, and has since been discharged.
Detective Inspector Emma Kerrigan said: ‘This was a horrific attack which has left a young girl receiving hospital treatment for injuries to her head and legs.
‘I want to reassure people that she received the best possible care and treatment for her injuries, and we hope she makes a speedy recovery now she is home.
‘We have seized the dog and extensive efforts are underway to establish exactly what happened and to find the owner.
‘I want to appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident, who may have information which could help us with our investigation to come forward as soon as possible.’
She added: ‘You may even live locally and have CCTV, or have been passing in a vehicle and captured dashcam footage – if so, we want to hear from you.
‘This case highlights in the starkest terms the potential dangers of dogs, and I would appeal to anyone with information about dangerous dogs in their area to contact us so that we can take pro-active action.’
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Merseyside Police social media desk via twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police Contact Centre.
They can also call 101 quoting incident reference 23000646249 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
