The owner of a ‘Pocket Bully’ which mauled a five-year-old boy and left him in hospital has sensationally blamed the child for being attacked and insisted his dog isn’t dangerous.
Little Antonio Quinn, who was four at the time, was left covered in blood and his ‘cheeks hanging off’ when he was pounced on by the mutt in a vicious attack at his neighbour’s house.
He was blue-lighted to hospital and needed a three hour operation to have his face stitched back together.
His mother, Amanda Holmes, 34, said her son was lucky to be alive, but the dog’s owner, Aaron Eccles, has incredibly blamed Antonio for being mauled.
Mr Eccles has defended his dog, named Harry, saying he is like a ‘teddy bear’ and was just protecting his home.
‘It’s a genuine mistake and the parents aren’t accepting the fact that their child’s in the wrong for coming into the house,’ he told The Sun.
The father says he would happily leave his six-month-old child with the Pocket Bully, named Harry, which was seized by officers alongside a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, after ’20 armed cops’ swooped on his home.
And he went on to accuse police of ‘terrorising’ and ‘winding my dogs up’ by pepper spraying them.
Little Antonio Quinn, who was four at the time, was left covered in blood and his ‘cheeks hanging off’ when he was pounced on by the mutt in a vicious attack at his neighbour’s house
He was blue-lighted to hospital and needed a three hour operation to have his face stitched back together
Aaron Eccles, who was being picked up from the gym at the time of the attack, said that Antonio ‘wasn’t ragged’ or ‘savaged’ and his dog, Harry, was giving him a warning bite
Mr Eccles said that Antonio ‘wasn’t ragged’ or ‘savaged’ and Harry had given him a warning bite.
He said: ‘He was just protecting his home – what he’s loyal to. They don’t differentiate between an adult and a child when they think it’s a burglar. But he certainly hasn’t mauled him.’
Mr Eccles was being picked up from the gym by his partner Nikki Morris at the time of the attack on May 26, who had told her six-year-old son not to go inside the home in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, until she got back.
His older sister, 12, was upstairs at the time.
Antonio’s furious mother says her son was playing with the boy and got attacked after he followed his friend to the front door when he went to get a drink.
He had been standing just outside when he was pounced on and was saved by a family friend who managed to pull Harry off.
She says Mr Eccles has CCTV but he has refused to release the footage as he claims it wasn’t recording at the time of the incident.
The terrified youngster managed to run away, but he was left covered in blood and had injuries to both of his cheeks, underneath his chin and his right thigh.
Pocket Bully, Harry (pictured), was seized at the address by officers alongside a Staffordshire Bull Terrier
The terrified youngster managed to run away, but he was left covered in blood and had injuries to both of his cheeks, underneath his chin and his right thigh
Antonio was then rushed to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where he underwent an operation to stitch his wounds.
Ms Holmes said: ‘It was the worst thing ever, it was horrible. It was so scary.
‘I couldn’t believe my son’s face was like that, it was like something out of a horror film.’
The mother-of-three added: ‘I heard a scream – you know your child’s cry.
‘Antonio was then at the front door, he had blood all over his face and his cheeks were hanging off his face.
‘I was screaming, asking what’s happened and then I rang the ambulance.
‘Luckily, the dog didn’t remove any skin – they just ripped it.
‘They’ve managed to put it all back together, they’ve done a really good job with him.’
Ms Holmes, who owns a Siberian Huskey crossed with a Pomeranian dog, says that despite Antonio’s injuries, he seems to be doing well.
She said: ‘I thought that bringing him home from the hospital, when we’ve got a dog, might be an obstacle for him but he’s been absolutely fine.
‘The dog knows that he’s been injured so she hasn’t left his side. Antonio is doing okay, you can tell that he’s shocked by it.
‘He’s still in a lot of pain but he’s doing well.’
Antonio in hospital with his ‘bravery award’ after his wounds were treated and bandaged at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital
Some of the injuries Antonio suffered from the attack which his mother says he is lucky survive
A Lancashire Police spokesperson confirmed at the time that the Pocket Bully and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier have been seized.
They said: ‘We’re appealing for information and footage after a child suffered a dog bite in Oswaldtwistle.
‘We were called at shortly after 1.30pm on Monday 26th May following reports that a child had been bitten by a dog on Thwaites Road, Oswaldtwistle.
‘The child, a four-year-old boy, was taken to hospital with injuries to his leg and face.
‘Thankfully, those injuries are not life threatening.
‘Two dogs have been seized by police – a Staffordshire Bull Terrier type and a Pocket Bully Type and the dog owner has been identified and will be spoken to in due course.’
Mr Eccles said he has not been arrested and that police had asked him if he wanted the dogs euthanised.
He declined the offer and is now waiting for an assessment to be carried out to determine whether they are too dangerous to be allowed to return home.
