A young boy has suffered facial injuries after being 'bitten by a dog' in a pet store. Mitchell Neville, 7, was treated in hospital for injuries due to a dog bite on April 21, 2023.
The seven-year-old from County Down, Northern Ireland was with his mother and sister purchasing pet food when he sustained injuries to his face and head, including a laceration on his forehead, reports BelfastLive.
The boy received medical attention from the owner of the shop. They are cooperating with an investigation being carried out by the dog warden from Ards and North Down Borough Council.
The child was taken to Ulster Hospital where he was assessed and treated. He received 12 stitches to to his forehead. Doctors say they will consider plastic surgery if needed amid assessing his healing progress.
The family own a dog of their own, Kash, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and were buying food for their pet. It was the shop owner's Great Dane that Mitchell alleges injured him.
His mother, Charlotte, explained to BelfastLive: “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 store 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 Police Service of Northern Ireland 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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