An 18-year-old girl was mauled by a vicious dog in a brutal attack and left with serious facial injuries which required 28 stitches. Lily-Blu Whitehurst had been over at her friend's house in September 2021 when the family's English bull terrier who has been happily sitting on her lap randomly lunged at her.
Lily-Blu from Congleton, Cheshire, said: “I was sat on the sofa next to the owner. Their dog was lying across my lap. I moved forward because it was heavy and it just attacked.”
The Mirror reports the teen was left with a fractured nose and is still unable to fully close one of her eyelids after the bite missed her eyes by millimetres. She was forced to miss two and a half months of school after the attack which she says will 'continue to have an effect on me for the rest of my life'.
The owner of the dog was fined £700 and the animal is now made to wear a muzzle outside and sit in a cage when there are visitors. Speaking of her painful injuries,
Lily-Blue recalls: ”The bite was millimetres from my eyes. One cut was across my eyelid.
"I couldn’t open one of my eyes for about two weeks and my forehead swelled up. A year on, one eye still can’t fully close. I think it will continue to have an effect on me for the rest of my life.”
The victim has two of her own pet dogs, including Buster, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
She said: “I know how to act around dogs. I’ve had dogs all my life. It’s helped me to realise that not all dogs are like that.”
Lily-Blu recalled the horror as a new study claims dog attacks in England and Wales have risen by more than a third in the past five years. A report by the BBC found a 34% rise in police recorded incidents but the UK's dog population has risen by only around 15% in that time.
There were nearly 22,000 cases of out-of-control dogs causing injury last year compared to in 2018 when there were just over 16,000. Police must be notified of dogs which cause death or injury to a person or an assistance dog.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) says officers are focusing on attacks and more animals are being removed from their owners. Nearly 3,500 dogs were seized in 2022, mostly due to the animals being 'out of control', across 33 force areas which was up 36% from 2018.
Paul Jameson, a specialist dog legislation officer for South Yorkshire Police, said there has been an increase in dog numbers since Covid. He stated: “It’s busier than we’ve ever known. Having seen the effects of these dog attacks, I make no apology for seizing dogs where there is a risk.”
There have already been two fatal dog attacks so far this year after dog walker Natasha Johnston, 28 was mauled to death by a pack of canines at Caterham in Surrey in January. This was followed by a second fatal attack later that month in Milton Keynes where four-year-old Alice Stones was killed by a dog.
Dr Rachel Casey, director of canine behaviour and research at the animal welfare charity, Dogs Trust, said dog aggression is normally caused by anxiety or worry.
She explained: “Their ears might go back and their body posture changes. Owners need to be able to identify these signs".
She advised if someone wants to get a dog, they should get one based on their lifestyle rather than just because they like a particular breed.
Deputy Chief Constable Robert Carden from the NPCC said: “Incidents can often be very alarming, but I want to reassure people that we are taking the matter seriously and we are cracking down on those who own or breed dangerous dogs.”
Last October the Mirror revealed there were 7,790 dog attacks from January to July in 2020 and 9,834 for the same period in 2022, a 26% increase.
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