Dog attacks injure three children in 48 hours

Police responded to three dog attacks on children as young as six in South Yorkshire over two days.

A pit bull dog mauled a seven-year-old boy in Thorne, Doncaster, on Friday evening, South Yorkshire Police said, with the child taken to hospital with puncture wounds.

Five hours earlier, a six-year-old girl was attacked by a pocket bully dog in Sheffield, the force said, with the child suffering facial injuries.

A cane corso was destroyed on 29 January in Rossington, Doncaster, after a 16-year-old girl was left seriously injured, with the teenager requiring reconstructive surgery to an arm.

The dogs in Sheffield and Thorne were seized and placed in police kennels.

South Yorkshire Police described the level of demand dangerous dog cases were placing on its officers as "unprecedented".

It said it had investigated 347 dangerous dog cases involving children under the age of 15 in 2024.

Ch Insp Emma Cheney said "owners must step up, parents must step up" to help protect young people.

"Simple changes to your dog's routine or conversations with your children about respecting your dog's space can be the difference between life and death," she said.

The force advised owners to never leave children and dogs unattended, make sure dogs have somewhere comfortable to go when visitors call in and to consider installing stair gates to separate dogs and children.

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