'LUCKY TO BE ALIVE'
Five-year-old boy mauled by XL Bully as horror attack leaves him needing facial reconstruction
Horrific images show Teddy's life-changing injuries after the attack
A SCOTS schoolboy needed to have facial reconstruction after he was mauled by an XL Bully in a terrifying attack.
Five-year-old Teddy Kerr has been left scarred for life after the beast turned on the youngster and locked its jaw onto his cheek.
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He was visiting family friends in Paisley on Sunday, November 3 with mum Chelsey, 32, and sisters, Brooke, 10 and Taylor, 9, when the dog turned on him.
His distraught loved ones watched on helplessly as the mutt tore at the schoolboy's back and head.
Teddy was rushed to the Royal Alexandria Hospital, and he received 100 stitches in his face during over an hour of surgery.
The dog was destroyed after the horror attack at the Greenbank Drive property.
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His gran Marion Hanratty told the : "I thought I was going to lose my grandson.
"The dog's teeth punctured through his back and the bites were inches away from puncturing his lungs. If that had happened then who knows what the outcome would have been.
"He can’t even smile right now because he has so many stitches across his face.
"He was screaming the other day when he got a glimpse of his face in the mirror. He doesn’t want to look at himself.
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"We are all worried about what the future will hold for him now and we just hope and pray his scars will fade over time. Teddy is lucky to be alive."
Marion told how her daughter heard the girls screaming from the living room when the attack happened.
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When Chelsey ran into the room, the dog had Teddy pinned to the floor, and when it let go there was blood gushing out of the youngster's face.
Marion added: "She didn’t even call an ambulance she just drove Teddy straight to hospital.
"The trauma team took him into resus and packed his face and back with bandages to stop the bleeding.
"They were worried the bite had punctured his lungs because his oxygen levels kept dropping and he had a wound three and a half inches deep on his back but thankfully an X-ray ruled out serious damage.
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XL BULLY BAN
WHAT THE LAW MEANS
IT is now illegal to own an XL Bully without an exemption certificate.
Anyone caught defying the rules risks up to six months in prison and/or a fine of up to £5,000.
In order to qualify, dogs must be microchipped by the time they are eight weeks old and neutered by the time they are 18 months old. Owners must also get third party public liability insurance and pay an application fee of £92.40.
Campaigners say it has cost most owners around £700 to adhere to the rules and get exemption.
They’ve also highlighted problems with having dogs identified as XL Bullys as a result of certain characteristics.
On January 18, the Scottish Government announced the dog ban will replicate the laws in England and Wales.
Since February 23, it has been illegal here to sell, abandon, give away or breed the dogs. They must also be on leads and muzzled in public.
"Chelsey really though he was going to die. When she called me to say what had happened I was hysterical too. I couldn’t believe it."
The gran said she wants a complete ban of XL Bully dogs following the attack as they are a "dangerous breed".
Cops confirmed that a 41-year-old man was charged and reported the the Procurator Fiscal for offences under the Dangerous Dog Act.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 8.05pm on Sunday, 3 November, 2024, police received a report a 5-year-old child had been attacked by a dog in Greenbank Drive, Paisley.
"The child was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital and the dog was seized.
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"A 41-year-old man has been charged and reported to the Procurator Fiscal for offences under the Dangerous Dog Act.
"The dog has been destroyed."
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