Baby boy, 17 months, mauled by dog while playing in park is rushed to hospital by air ambulance
- Boy, 17-months-old, was airlifted to hospital with a leg injury following dog attack
- Incident took place at Marian Gardens in Merseyside, Liverpool, at 1.25pm today
- Authorities seized the dog, with the owner due to be questioned, police said
A 17-month-old boy has been rushed to hospital after being mauled by a dog whilst playing in a Liverpool park this afternoon.
The boy had been playing on a swing when the dog attacked him in Marian Gardens, Netherton, Merseyside, just before 1.25pm today, witnesses told The Liverpool Echo.
Merseyside police confirmed the baby boy had suffered a leg injury after being bitten by the dog and had been taken to hospital via air ambulance for treatment.
His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Authorities seized the dog and the owner is due to be questioned over the incident, police said.
The boy had been playing on a swing when the dog attacked him in Marian Gardens, Netherton, Merseyside, just before 1.25pm today
A Merseyside police spokesperson said: ‘Emergency services were called to reports that a baby had been attacked by a dog.
‘At around 1.25pm police received reports that a 17-month-old baby boy was bitten on the leg by a dog.
‘The baby has been taken to hospital by air ambulance to be treated for a non-life threatening leg injury.
‘The dog has been seized and its owner will be questioned by police. Enquiries into the incident are ongoing.’
Police urge anyone with information to contact @MerPolCC on Twitter, ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook, call 101 or the independent charity @CrimestoppersUK anonymously, on 0800 555 111, with reference 21000082136.
The news comes days after a 25-year-old woman was savaged to death by her family’s rescue dog.
Police and paramedics were called to a property in Kitts Green, Birmingham, at 2pm Friday where 25-year-old Keira Ladlow (pictured) was pronounced dead, following the dog attack
The woman, named locally as Keira Ladlow, was alone at a house in the Kitts Green area of Birmingham when she was attacked by the dog suffering horrific injuries.
Horrified neighbours told how she had been lying in bed when the dog attacked and chewed her arm off.
Police and paramedics were called to the property at 2pm on Friday after a relative raised the alarm and Ms Ladlow was pronounced dead at the scene.
Abeygail Barrett, believed to be a relative, posted on Facebook that Ms Ladlow had found the dog ‘in a garden’, according to The Sun.
She posted: ‘Her previous dog was a pit bull that died of cancer so she rescued this dog after finding it in a garden where it had been on and off for four years.
‘Sometimes dogs are rescued with all good intentions but their past can make them tragically unpredictable.’
West Midlands Police said no one else was in the property at the time and the Staffordshire cross dog (file image) was handed over to officers to be put down
The woman, named locally as Keira Ladlow, was alone at a terraced house in the Kitts Green area of Birmingham when she was attacked by the dog
A source also told the publication that Ms Ladlow was ‘screaming and shouting for help’ and the bark from the dog was also ‘incredibly loud’.
West Midlands Police said no one else was in the property at the time and the Staffordshire cross dog was handed over to officers to be put down.
The dog bit her arm off while she lay in bed, according to neighbours on the quiet residential street of redbrick houses, who told of their shock.
Grandfather-of-five Eric Kirton, 72, a retired industrial cleaner, said: ‘I saw everything going on outside.
Police and paramedics were called to Sunbeam Way, Birmingham, pictured, on Friday afternoon
‘There were ambulances and police cars. I thought they were searching for a person, then I heard about the dog and thought they must’ve been looking for it.
‘My daughter phoned up and said a young lady had been bitten by a dog.
‘She’s a manageress in a cafe where lots of police go and heard there that the woman was in bed when the dog chewed her arm off.
‘I don’t know how she died, but it might’ve been from the wounds. Last night I could see eight or so relatives turn up at the house.
‘It’s such a surprise – I think most people around here had no idea what had happened.
West Midlands Police said no one else was in the property at the time and the Staffordshire cross dog was handed over to officers to be put down. Pictured: Keira Ladlow
‘It’s horrific. What a shame. It’s a shame for her and the dog. I love dogs, but had never seen that one.’
A woman, who didn’t not want to be named, said: ‘It’s shocking, absolutely shocking.
‘I’ve only recently moved here and don’t know her or the family. There was never any trouble there, and I never saw the dog.
‘There were loads of police and an ambulance when I came back from the shops. Then I found out when my friend sent me the news story this morning.
‘It’s terrible and must’ve been a horrific way to die.’
Neighbours on Sunbeam Way, pictured, this morning spoke of their shock after the attack
Another woman added: ‘When the police and ambulances came we were told to come outside because something had happened, then heard a young woman had died.
‘There were lots of cars and a rapid response team. I didn’t really know about the cause of death until I heard it was a dog attack.
‘I thought ‘no way’ because it felt completely surreal. It’s the kind of thing that only happens in the movies.
‘I still can’t understand how a pet can turn like that. I saw the dog being taken away and, as far as I can tell, it looked fine.
‘I’d never seen it before and I heard from a neighbour it was only walked at certain times. She used to pull her own dog away from it because she thought it was violent.
‘I saw on the news it was a Staffie, but to be it looked more like a Bull Mastiff. I don’t know the woman at all, only that she was 25.’
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: ‘We were called to Sunbeam Way just after 2pm on Friday by a relative.
‘Sadly, a woman, aged 25, was found dead at the scene after suffering serious injuries believed to have been caused by a family dog which also lived at the address.
‘No-one else was in the property at the time, and the woman’s family has signed the dog, believed to be a Staffordshire cross, over to police.
‘It will be humanely put to sleep.’
He added: ‘The death is being treated as a tragic incident, but with no suspicious circumstances.
‘A file will be prepared for the coroner in due course.’
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