A devastated mother of a five-year-old boy who was mauled by a dog has said he came within inches of being ‘killed on the spot’.
Roman was walking with his mother in a park near their home in Doncaster on Thursday when they encountered a dog which was off its lead.
The dog, believed to be a bull breed, growled at the youngster before it attacked and injured his eye, ears and cheeks.
His mother Joanne, 28, now fears the attack may have scarred her son for life.
She said that if the bite had been any lower on his face he would have died.
Roman was taken to hospital where he needed surgery on his ear.
South Yorkshire Police said a 29-year-old man had been bailed on suspicion of owning a dog dangerously out of control.
The dog remains in police kennels.
Joanne said when she and Roman saw the dog, its ‘stance changed’ and it ran straight for the boy.
‘Roman didn’t stand a chance. This big beefy thing just came and took him to the floor,’ she added.
‘I was thinking “it’s going to kill him”, it got him by the face and wouldn’t let him go.
She said her son was shouting “I’m going to die”.’
The dog’s owner tried to grab it by the collar and he and Joanne managed to pull it off Roman.
Passers-by rushed to help before the emergency services, including armed police, arrived.
‘If the dog had gone a little bit further, he would have lost his eye,’ Joanne said.
‘It wasn’t a small dog, it was about four times the size of Roman. It was pure muscle.’
She said Roman was ‘processing the attack inside’ and told her he ‘cannot believe a dog bit me’.
He has been off school since it happened but his mum said he was keen to go back.
However, she said the extent of Roman’s injuries meant she was keeping him at home for a while longer.
Joanne called on owners to be more responsible by keeping all dogs on leads in open spaces.
‘It doesn’t matter how soft you think your animal is,’ she said.
‘It doesn’t matter how playful and how friendly they are, keep your dog on a lead, especially in a place like this where there are kids.’
Joanne said she was ‘in awe’ of her son following the attack, especially as he had been back to the park to play.
‘Proud isn’t even the word. If that was me, a grown-up, that had just been attacked by a dog – you wouldn’t catch me coming back.’
Inspector Steve Usher said: ‘This incident should never happen and could have be avoided by responsible ownership.
‘If you are in an area with children who can act in excitable and unpredictable ways, there should be no reason a dog should be off its lead.
‘Being a responsible owner is the difference between dogs causing fear and harm in our community.
‘Please do your part and act. Do not think it won’t happen to you, or your dog would never do that. Any dog has the potential to cause injury.’
