A six-year-old boy lost part of his scalp after being attacked in his own home by a Staffie that had been bought two weeks earlier for £200 on Facebook. Vick Zidko was walking down the stairs when the dog attacked.
The pet leapt on the boy and dragged him down the steps, reports The Mirror. He was bitten and clawed on his head and back.
Vick's family saved his life by prising open the American Bull/Staffordshire bull terrier’s clamped jaws, as Vick asked: “Mummy, am I dying?”
Vick spent five days in hospital having more than 50 stitches in his head and face. He also suffered deep cuts to his back.
Stitches on Vick's head (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
Dad Vitalijus said: “It’s a nightmare and we never want any other family to go through this.”
Vitalijus said they bought the dog after a post was put online by the breeder. He said the six-month-old dog was called Diesel and described as a Staffie.
He added: “When we saw him he was really soft and jumping around. He captured our hearts."
Diesel, the American Staffordshire Terrier that attacked Vick (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
“But after we got him home it became apparent he was completely untrained.”
The dog was chewing a bone last Thursday at 7pm just before the attack began. Vick’s sister Gabriel, 18, said: “Vick came down the stairs quietly and Diesel started barking.
“He was ragging him about and scratching him.
“I started screaming and my stepdad [Vitalijus] and mum ran in. What sticks in my brain was my little brother pleading ‘stop, Diesel, stop’. I was trying to get the dog off. My mum was screaming ‘Oh my God, stop stop stop’.
Injury to Vick's back (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
“He pounced on Vick, dragging him down two of the stairs. It was as if he saw Vick as a chew toy. My stepdad jumped in front of me and tried choking the dog out, and that’s when my mum scooped Vick up. My stepdad told me to call an ambulance and he put [the dog] in the bathroom.”
Huge patch covers Vick's scalp injury (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
The dad also needed hospital treatment because his arm – which he put in the dog’s mouth to stop the attack – was punctured by Diesel’s teeth. Gabriel, who was also covered in blood, said: “All I heard was my mum’s screams because she had seen the injuries.”
Vick's dad Vitalijus with Diesel (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
Mum Eugenija, 41, said: “I grabbed Vick and ran to the bedroom, locking the door.
“I was trying to calm him down. I put a towel on his head to stop the bleeding. He saw all the blood and said, ‘Mummy, am I dying?’.
Vick with twin brother Nick (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
“Then he asked is [his twin brother] Nick and Gabriel OK.” The piece of scalp ended up on the floor at the home in Highfields, Doncaster, South Yorks, and was almost stepped on by a police officer.
It was later taken to hospital alongside a bag of frozen chips.
Eugenija said: “The doctors could not believe how Vick kept smiling. He’s my superman.
“He’s having bad dreams and said he sees a ‘doggy attacking me again’.
“He said, ‘Promise me we’ll have no more dogs in our house’. The medics and our neighbours were amazing. He has to go back for another operation, we think.” The lad has a protective cover over the piece of scalp.
The attack prompted police to issue a warning about buying dogs from social media adverts.
Officers are investigating. The dog was taken by police and put to sleep.
The Mirror is calling for changes such as an overhaul of the Dangerous Dogs Act including the possibility of tougher penalties for offenders.
