Boy, 8, taken to hospital after dog attack in Lauriston Road
An ambulance in South Hackney after a dog bit a young child. Picture: Laurie Churchman - Credit: Archant
An eight-year-old boy was taken to hospital after being bitten by a Rottweiler in Hackney.
Witnesses said the boy was practising cartwheels on a patch of grass when the dog attacked.
Paramedics arrived at Lauriston Road just after 2pm on Wednesday to find the child hunched over and clutching his arm.
Witness Louise Pittman said the dog had been tied to a post when it struck the boy. "It went for the inside of his right arm and bit him deeply. There was a set of tooth marks and it went well beneath the skin," she said.
The dog's owner Charlie Mellor said: "I'm just so sorry. He's usually a placid dog. I've had him for more than three years and he's never done anything like this before."
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A specialist Met Police team arrived to collect the animal, which could now be killed under the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act.
A court can order any dog that causes injury to be put down. Certain breeds are banned entirely under the act, including pit bull terriers and Japanese Tosas - but not Rottweilers.
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"It's sad," said Louise. "The dog's beautiful. But if it's capable of doing this to a child, it's clearly extremely dangerous."
