Boy, 4, left with ‘horror film’ injuries after Bully dog attack

A mum whose four-year-old son was viciously attacked by a Pocket Bully said his injuries were something like ‘out of a horror film’.

Amanda Holmes’ son, Antonio, was at his friend’s house on Monday when the dog attacked him, before a family friend managed to pull it off.

Antonio managed to run away from the dog, but he was left covered in blood and had injuries to both of his cheeks, underneath his chin and his right thigh.

Mum Amanda recalled: ‘It was the worst thing ever, it was horrible. It was so scary. I couldn’t believe my son’s face was like that, it was like something out of a horror film.’

He was then rushed to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where he underwent a three-hour operation to stitch his wounds.

‘I heard a scream – you know your child’s cry. Antonio was then at the front door, he had blood all over his face, and his cheeks were hanging off his face,’ Amanda said.

‘I was screaming, asking what had happened, and then I rang the ambulance. Luckily, the dog didn’t remove any skin – they just ripped it.

‘They’ve managed to put it all back together, they’ve done a really good job with him,’ she added.

Amanda, who owns a Siberian Husky crossed with a Pomeranian dog, says that despite Antonio’s injuries, he seems to be doing well.

She said: ‘I thought that bringing him home from the hospital, when we’ve got a dog, might be an obstacle for him, but he’s been absolutely fine.

‘The dog knows that he’s been injured, so she hasn’t left his side. Antonio is doing okay, you can tell that he’s shocked by it. He’s still in a lot of pain, but he’s doing well.’

A Lancashire Police spokesperson confirmed that the Pocket Bully and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, which were also at the scene, have been seized.

They said: ‘We’re appealing for information and footage after a child suffered a dog bite in Oswaldtwistle.

‘We were called shortly after 1.30 pm on Monday, May 26, following reports that a child had been bitten by a dog on Thwaites Road, Oswaldtwistle.

‘The child, a four-year-old boy, was taken to the hospital with injuries to his leg and face. Thankfully, those injuries are not life-threatening.’

Police said the dog’s owner has been identified.

Pocket Bullies are a smaller version of the famous XL Bully, but the smaller breed is often an American Bully crossed with the British Patterdale Terrier.

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