A two-year-old girl had part of her nose bitten off by a dog in a savage attack at a rescue centre.
Alice Eady was attacked by the small cross-bred which was "running loose" back in June 2018 while the family were looking to adopt a dog at the AA Dog Rescue Centre in Bradwell, Essex.
Once the family had chosen a dog, mum Olivia Frances-Snook, 22, turned to fill out the paperwork so they could bring their new pooch home.
It was at this moment that the loose dog bounded over and jumped on the toddler before it bit off part of her nose.
The mum said: "We went there to rehome a dog after we saw one on their website and came across one of their dogs.
"After toing and froing, we went to view the dog but when we got there the dog wasn't there but they said we could look around at their other dogs."
She continued: "We didn't want to have a wasted day so we went round.
"When it happened I was filling out paperwork because we had seen a dog we wanted to rehome.
"There were dogs running around and they had been put away a couple of times and someone put them away.
"Someone had let them back out again and one of them approached my daughter and she turned around to say hi and it just jumped at her."
The small dog was running around the rescue centre when it jumped up at the girl and bit her nose and mouth.
Alice cried out in pain as her horrified parents rushed to her aid.
Olivia continued: "I just felt shocked. I didn't know how bad it was. My partner Zach was shouting: 'She's missing part of her face.'
"We took her outside and there was so much blood I couldn't see how bad it was.
"One person threw a towel over her and said she was fine. Someone else came up to us and said she might need a tetanus.
"A small triangle of her nose was taken off and the hospital said they were going to clean it up.
"Alice wasn't being a nuisance, she was well-behaved and didn't provoke the dog."
The family went to hospital but were allowed home that night and took Alice back the next day so the doctor could check on her.
But the doctors decided the wounds needed stitching and the parents were later told that Alice may even need reconstructive surgery.
Olivia said: "She just had a face full of stitches, it was awful to see her like that.
"Because her cartilage was showing they had to stitch it up."
The family later learned that the dog belonged to Karen James, one of the owners of the rescue centre.
Olivia claimed that there was nothing to say families and young children could not visit the rescue centre and said she would never let Alice pet a dog she didn't know.
Following the horrific incident, the little girl who once loved dogs has become fearful of them and cries if she hears any dog barking.
Her mum said: "She will still say: 'I love dogs mummy' but if she sees a dog she won't go up to them. If she hears barking she cries.
"My mum has four dogs and Alice has grown up around them but she's slightly wary of them now. One time they starting barking and she screamed and cried."
At Chelmsford Crown Court on January 4 2019, Karen James, 49, of Latchingdon, received a 12 month community order for being the owner of a dog out of control which caused injury.
She was also made to pay £250 in compensation, £85 for the victim surcharge and was made subject to a condition of residence.
