A little girl was rushed to hospital after suffering a horrific leg break when two dogs "skittled" on a beach - leaving her needing a tiny zimmer frame.
Maggie Munro, aged 5, fractured her femur at the Silver Sands beach in Aberdour, Fife, during a day out with her family - with the dogs running off their leads.
The unfortunate child must now spend up to two months in a hip to toe cast, but despite the incident she's still desperate for a pet dog of her own.
The Edinburgh girl is recovering well at home and her parents have issued a warning to dog owners to be more careful in public places, reports the Daily Record.
They fear it was only luck which meant the situation wasn't any worse for little Maggie, with the dogs only just missing her baby sister Molly.
Mum Mhairi, 39, said: "It was two dogs owned by two different owners and they were just playing and excited to see each other, but they basically ran full tilt and took Maggie out and skittled her.
"They just skiffed our nine-month-old who was sitting down by my feet at the time.
"I did not notice them coming straight towards us and it all happened in a flash.
"I scooped Maggie up and when I tried to put her back down on the sand, the minute her foot was on it I knew that was not possible, so I carried her off the sand to a grassy area and bench where my brother was sitting."
Mhairi said one of the dog owners came over to see how Maggie was but the owners of the other dog appeared to have disappeared without an apology after the incident.
Paramedics moved Maggie onto a stretcher and drove her to Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, where she had the bone realigned and was put in a cast.
X-rays taken at the time showed a clean break of Maggie's left femur bone just a few centimetres above the knee cap.
Dad Gregor added: "Should your dog be running around at full tilt when other people are around? Maybe owners should rein them in around kids.
"These were decent sized dogs going at high speed and, in some way, it's lucky Molly did not bear the brunt because the situation could have been worse.
"We don't hate dogs, it's not about that.
"It's just really about people being aware and it maybe seems like a freak event - but apparently it's not."
Maggie is using a tiny zimmer frame to move around the house but she is hoping to get a wheelchair which will provide more security and comfort.
