A two-year-old girl has been mauled by up to five American bulldogs as she played in the garden of a house in Liverpool.
The toddler was with her aunt and friends aged four and six when the dogs burst into the garden in Toxteth on Sunday afternoon.
Police said she sustained serious injuries to her head and body and was being treated at Alder Hey children’s hospital.
Merseyside police said Andrew McGowan, 35, had been charged over the dog attack. He is due to appear at Liverpool and Knowsley magistrates court on Tuesday.
Detectives said the animals were American Bully dogs – which is not a banned breed – and that there had been 11 of them at a three-bedroom property.
Neighbours said the dogs were being bred for sale and were kept in the garden next door but got through a hole in the fence.
They described hearing screams as the toddler’s aunt, looking after the children for the afternoon, fought off the attack and ran to the front of the house carrying the child.
They heard the 57-year-old repeatedly shout: “The dog’s got the baby!” as neighbours rushed to help.
A neighbour said: “I can’t even actually think about it now,” and was too upset to speak further when approached by the Press Association. None of the neighbours gave their names.
Detectives said the attack could have been much more serious if it had not been for the intervention of the girl’s aunt, who was taken to hospital with minor injuries and was later discharged.
Police remained at the scene on Monday, with forensic officers going to and from the house.
Detectives said five dogs and six puppies were seized after the attack.
Four breeds of dog are banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, which was introduced to try to stamp out illegal dog fighting. The banned breeds are the pitbull terrier, the Japanese tosa, the dogo argentino, and fila brasileiro.
Supt Mark Wiggins of Merseyside police said the girl had extensive injuries to her face, neck and body and that “only time will tell if she fully recovers from that attack”.
He added: “We know one, if not more, of these dogs was involved in the attack but we need to establish what went on. If the aunt of that two-year-old child hadn’t intervened, we could have been looking at a much more serious situation in this case.”
He said the victim’s family was traumatised and appealed to the public to report any worries about dangerous dogs or irresponsible owners to police.
Ch Insp Dave Westby, also of Merseyside police, said: “This was a horrific attack, which has resulted in a two-year-old girl suffering extensive injuries to her head and body.
“The investigation is in its early stages, but it is believed that the child was playing in the back garden of a relative’s address with two other children, aged four and six years, when a number of dogs from a nearby house managed to get into the garden.
“It is believed the little girl was attacked by more than one dog, and officers are trying to establish how many dogs were involved in the incident. Fortunately, a relative who was in the house was able to rescue the child from the dogs.
“I want to reassure people that the little girl is now getting the best possible care and treatment for her injuries at Alder Hey children’s hospital.”
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