Toddler injured in dog attack
A BOY aged two has been taken to hospital with serious facial injuries after being attacked by a dog, police said.
Officers were called to the Baythorpe Caravan Park at Skegness, Lincolnshire, at about 11.15am yesterday.
The toddler was taken to the Pilgrim Hospital, Boston, before being transferred to Lincoln Royal Infirmary for specialist treatment.
His injuries, described as a "nasty bite", are not thought to be life-threatening.
Police cordoned off the area while scenes of crime officers carried out a forensic examination.
The dog, thought to belong to the child's grandmother, was seized and taken to Skegness police station, where a vet examined it. It was identified as a terrier but its exact breed was not confirmed. Further expert advice was to be sought.
A Lincolnshire Police spokeswoman said police had to establish circumstances surrounding the attack before deciding whether to have the dog put down. There might have been some element of provocation, which would be taken into account.
"Until we can confirm that the dog needs destroying, the dog will remain in kennels," she said.
The caravan park's owner, who did not want to give her name, said the boy had been visiting his grandparents with his mother at the time.
The dog, which she believed to be a Staffordshire bull terrier, belonged to the couple, who had lived at the site for about six years.
The child, who lives in the town, is a regular visitor to the site and would have known the dog well, she said.
Neighbours at the caravan site said they had seen the couple, who are thought to be in their mid 50s, walking two dogs on regular occasions.
Denise Cawton, who has lived there for just over a year, said: "I've never seen them off their lead. They have never been any trouble."
Another neighbour said the couple live with their son, in his 20s, and it was thought he owned the dog. They had "never been any trouble".
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