Boy, 2, âlucky to be aliveâ after bully dog attack
Danielle GunstonA mother said her two-year-old son was lucky to be alive after he was âhorrificallyâ attacked by a pocket bully dog while trick or treating.
Danielle Gunston said she and four other adults and six children were knocking on doors in Bexhill on Halloween when a dog ran out and bit her son Alfredâs face.
He was left with a broken jaw, missing teeth, 15 small punctures and two deep lacerations on his cheek and neck, which the 33-year-old said could scar.
Ms Gunston, of Bexhill, East Sussex, is now calling for a law to require the owners of certain dog breeds to display a sign outside their house to warn people.
âAbsolutely traumatisedâ
She also wants to raise awareness about what people can do in the event of a dog attack.
âAll of a sudden there was a horrendous growl and this dog came running and pounced on Alfred,â Ms Gunston said. âIt pinned him to the floor.
âThe children went running. They were screaming.â
Alfredâs father and another man in the group managed to prise his head from its jaws.
Danielle GunstonMs Gunston described the dog as a pocket bully.
The pocket is a variant of the American bully breed, which includes the larger and more muscular XL.
The UK government made it a criminal offence to possess a bully XL without a valid certificate of exemption from February 2024, following a spate of attacks. However, this does not apply to the smaller pocket variant.
Sussex Police confirmed to the BBC that no arrests have been made following the incident, which they were investigating.
The force said the dog had since been put down under the Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991.
Alfredâs grandmother and his three siblings witnessed the attack, which Ms Gunston said had left them âabsolutely traumatisedâ.
One of her children was now having counselling.
She said they rushed Alfred to A&E and he is now recovering at home after a metal plate was fitted in his jaw at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead.
âWe are in absolute awe of Alfred,â Ms Gunston said. âHe has been so brave.â
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