A seven-year-old boy is recovering from facial injuries after being bitten by a dog in a Co Down pet shop.
Mitchell Neville was with his mum and sister buying pet food for their family dog Kash when it happened last Friday, April 21.
He sustained injuries to his face and head, including a deep laceration on his forehead and the bite wound on his cheek, Belfast Live reports.
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He received emergency first aid attention from the owner of the shop, who is co-operating fully with the investigation being carried out.
Mitchell was taken to the Ulster Hospital , Dundonald where his injuries were assessed and treated, including 12 stitches to the injury to his forehead. Doctors will assess how his healing progresses and will consider plastic surgery if needed.
In the presence of his mum Charlotte Neville, Mitchell told Belfast Live that he visited the pet shop often with his mum where the family bought food for their dog. He said he was familiar with the shop owner's Great Dane which he alleges injured him.
The incident happened at 3.20pm last Friday afternoon when Charlotte was in the shop with her two of her children
She explained: “I was talking to the shop owner who I know and my children were in the shop just a few feet from me. The owner’s dog was in the shop but it’s pretty normal for dogs to be in there. So I had no concerns and I asked the shop owner for help to choose an item in the freezer and we looked away for a few seconds. But literally seconds later we heard screaming.
“My daughter was screaming for help and Mitchell was screaming. When I looked around, Mitchell’s face was covered in blood and he had been bitten on the face and head.
“The shop owner moved very quickly to remove the dog from the shop premises into a back area. I felt like I froze in panic. The next thing, she had a cold compress on Mitchell’s injuries and I ran a few doors down to get help from the pharmacist.
“The pharmacist called 999 and a paramedic came very quickly. They were able to assess the situation and advise us to get Mitchell to hospital where his wounds could be cleansed and assessed and treated.
“He has been so brave for a little seven-year-old boy, more brave than me perhaps. When Mitchell’s aunt arrived to help, he was shaking and in shock but he managed to calm down when he knew he was being helped.
"I was totally shocked and panicked. This has affected our family very deeply and it all happened in a split second. It all just happened so quickly. One minute she said he was patting the dog and the dog’s tail was wagging and the next, the dog had Mitchell’s head in its jaws.
“There’s CCTV footage of the incident which will show exactly what happened. We’re just very thankful that Mitchell is recovering physically and we want to do everything we can to ensure that this incident doesn’t have a lasting effect on him, on his love for animals and in particular dogs. He loves dogs.
“We contacted the dog warden and the police are also involved and we expect that they will do a thorough investigation into why this happened.
“Emotionally I’m all over the place, I’m angry and upset, I feel panicked and scared, I’m heartbroken and shocked. Thankfully my son is alive but he will probably be scarred probably for life, physically if not emotionally. This is not something he’ll ever forget. I know that I will be scarred emotionally the rest of my days.”
The owners of the popular pet shop in Millisle, said: “We are absolutely dedicated to our customers and their dogs and we are co-operating fully with the investigation and we expect it will be thorough and fair. The family involved have been regular customers of our shop and well known to us for some time. We have tried to reach out to them on a number of occasions.
“We have been advised that while the investigation is ongoing we are unable to say anything further at this stage. We will be happy to engage further when the investigation is concluded.”
A spokesperson for Ards and North Down Borough Council, said: “As this incident is subject to an ongoing investigation, Council is unable to comment at this time.”
A PSNI spokeswoman said: “Police in Newtownards received a report of a child being bitten by a dog on Main Street, Millisle at approximately 3.30pm on Friday April 21. The child sustained cuts to their forehead and cheek and was taken to hospital for treatment to their injuries. The matter was referred through to the local council dog warden.”
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