A five-year-old girl has been left "absolutely traumatised” after a dog bit her in the face and left her needing 50 stitches.
Dad Florian Becker, from Florida, US, has revealed a horrific dog attack at Hortt Park in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday left his daughter with staples to her face, shoulders, back and scalp.
The family was at the local park when a lady with a dog came up to them and invited his daughter to pet the dog.
However, she was suddenly mauled by the dog, which left her in agony.
Florian told Local10: "A lady with a dog walked up… and she invited the kids to come and pet the dog. My daughter went up and pet him, and all of a sudden, the dog turned and bit her in her face."
The horrendous dog attack can be heard on a nearby CCTV camera, which captures the moment the toddler is left screaming.
The child's mum attempted to pull back the dog's collar but it snapped but was able to free her from the dog eventually.
He added: “My wife was shocked and screamed, tried to pull the dog back by its collar, and the collar broke.
"The dog attacked again, this time more viciously, and she was grabbing the dog and fighting it back, holding on to it, screaming at the woman to take control of her dog."
The little girl was rushed to hospital where she required 50 stitches and nearly lost her eye.
Florian said: “My daughter almost lost an eye. It was about an eighth of an inch, at least 20 staples to the head - probably 40 (or) 50 stitches to the face, shoulders (and) back.”
Her face has been left swollen and although some of the swelling is going down the impact on the little girl is huge, according to her dad.
Florian admitted: “She said… ‘Why are you looking at me?’ My wife said, ‘Because you’re beautiful.’ And she said, ‘No, I look like a monster.’ So, these scars will be there for a long time.”
Police were called to the park, but when they arrived the owner and dog had fled the scene.
However, according to Fort Lauderdale Vice Mayor Warren Sturman, the woman and dog have since been identified with the dog being picked up by Animal Control.
