The parents of a three-year-old savagely attacked by a dog thanked their new neighbours for saving their son's life.
Toddler Denis Jano, 3, suffered horrendous injuries to his face and scalp after the XL bully clamped down on his head as he played outside on Monday, April 16, in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, reports the Mirror.
Denis also suffered bruising to his arm and back in the terrifying ordeal before the neighbours fought to pull the snarling dog off the boy.
One resident grabbed the animal ‘by the b*******’ to make it let the little boy go.
The dog has since been destroyed following the attack and a woman, 42, has been arrested for allegedly allowing the dog to be dangerously out of control.
Fortunately little Denis is now back at home following treatment at Sheffield General Hospital.
His mother, who is Czech, and his Slovakian father, have five other children.
They thanked their neighbours, saying: ”They saved his life.”
The family was in the process of flitting into the red-brick terraced house on Monday when the attack took place.
“We only moved here on Friday and we were painting and shopping and getting things in the house,” they said.
”Me and Denis and the smallest girl, we went outside. Denis was next to me playing with a toy shopping trolley,' his mum, who did not wish to be named, said.
“The lady with the dog opened the gate to take out the garbage can. The dog got out of the gate and ran towards Denis.
“I was yelling ‘no’, ‘no’, but it came and bit him. I was screaming and grabbed my little girl in my arms.”
Another. neighbour Thomas Hogan, 23, ran out of his house to help.
Thomas said: ”I saw the dog with the kid’s head in its mouth. His mother was really screaming.
“Other neighbours came to help and managed to drag the dog off, one of us got the dog by the b*******.
“I thought the dog was going to kill him. There was blood all over the little boy’s dad’s shirt.”
Thomas dialled 999 after the dog was under control and back locked behind the iron gates of his owner’s home. Police seized the dog and it has since been destroyed.
Thomas added: ”The dog was vicious. It has previously killed a neighbour’s cat, and bitten another child - but nowhere near as badly.”
Another neighbour said the 42 year old who has been arrested had previously had an American pit bull but it was later taken away.
The house where the dog lived has broken windows and nobody answered the door when a reporter from the Mirror called.
A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "Police were called to the attack on a three-year-old boy by an XL bully in the Spalton Road area of Parkgate just after 2pm on Monday.
“He was taken to hospital to be treated for his injuries. The animal has been seized and a 42-year-old woman was bailed after being arrested on suspicion of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control.
"An investigation is underway and anybody with information should contact police on 101, quoting incident 538 of April 17."
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