Girl, 10, in surgery after Rottweiler mauling
A 10-year-old schoolgirl has been admitted to hospital with severe injuries after being pulled off her bicycle and savaged by a pair of Rottweilers.
By Simon Johnson
Published: 12:35PM BST 30 Aug 2010
Rhianna Kidd is recovering in hospital
Rhianna Kidd was cycling just yards from her grandmother’s house in Dundee when she was grabbed and pinned to the ground by one of the animals. The Rottweilers sank their teeth into her arms and legs, repeatedly pouncing on her each time she tried to get to her feet.
Her jaw was broken in two places and she suffered gashes all over her body. She was taken by ambulance to the city’s Ninewells Hospital, where she was undergoing plastic surgery. Irene Grady, her grandmother, was watching Rhianna cycle towards her when the Rottweilers and one Rottweiler puppy surrounded the schoolgirl.
“I didn't like the situation so I shouted to Rhianna 'keep pedalling' but one of the dogs just grabbed her off the bike. One started biting her arms while the other went for her legs,” she said. “Someone in a car pumped their horn and they stopped but when she got up they just knocked her back down.” Mrs Grady said her granddaughter managed to wrestle free three times, but each time the dogs pounced on her again.
“These dogs were like bulls. You should have seen the size of their heads. When I got to her I didn't know what to do,” she continued. “I just kept repeating to the dogs 'be good, be good'. They let her go and I managed to get her to the house. “Once we were inside, the Rottweilers were peering in the living room window. We were so scared.”
The attack occurred at 10.30am on Sunday morning in the city’s Dryburgh Street. The owner of the animals was seen leaving the area with them in a taxi. However, they were later traced by police and the dogs were due to be destroyed. A 33-year-old woman was charged in connection with the dog attack. Mrs Grady said: “I can still hear her screams. She's in an awful mess. She's got bites at the back of her ears and will have to have her jaw wired.
“Her clothes were shredded and had to be cut off her when she arrived at the hospital. She has a bite under her chin and I'm just thankful they never got her throat or things could have been a lot worse.” Neil Kidd, 32, Rhianna's father, said his daughter was recovering from three hours of plastic surgery. He said: "She is hurting a lot, especially her jaw, and she is struggling to speak, but she is doing okay.
"Her arm and leg are bandaged up but we have been told the plastic surgery has gone well." He said he left her less than one hundred yards from her grandmother's door and she only had to cross one street to safety. "There was blood everywhere. I cannot believe she managed to fight them off and got up twice. She is so brave," he said. "She doesn't want anyone to see her at the moment and she's just asking 'Why did it have to be me?'"
A man understood to the arrested woman's partner said that the animals had changed "like Jekyll and Hyde" and he had asked they be destroyed. Derek Adam 37, a builder, said he believed his animals were gentle creatures and they had been no threat to his own five children, the youngest of whom is only one. Mr Adam said: "I can't apologise enough. I have the deepest regrets. I think of my own kids."
A police spokesman confirmed Rhianna’s injuries are not life threatening, but appealed for any witnesses to contact them, particularly the driver who sounded his horn and disturbed the dogs. He said: “A woman has been charged under section three of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 for failing to keep the dogs under control and a full report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.”
The Dangerous Dogs Act places restrictions on certain breeds of dogs but new legislation being introduced in Scotland next spring will impose further restrictions on owners who fail to control their pets. Under the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Bill, owners who fail to comply with so-called ‘dog Asbos’ could be forced to keep their pets on a lead at all times, have it neutered, attend special training courses or face a fine of up to £1,000.
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