A HORRIFIED mum was convinced her five-year-old autistic son “had been killed” after he was mauled by a dog in a park.
Joanne Goffey, 28, was walking her son, Roman, home from school last week when the horrific attack happened.
Joanne from Doncaster, North Yorkshire, has described the moment the dog – believed to be a bull breed – dragged her son to the ground.
The pet injured his his eye, ears and cheeks during the horror attack last Thursday, leaving him needing surgery.
The mum-of-three said the dog was off-leash and wasn’t wearing a muzzle when it latched onto Roman.
Cops confirmed a 29-year-old man has since been arrested on suspicion of owning a dog dangerously out of control – and a dog has been seized.
Roman is now recovering at home, but his mum has called on dog owners to be more responsible by keeping dogs on leads in open areas.
Joanne said: “It all happened so fast – I thought for sure this dog was about to kill my child.
“It was the most terrifying thing we’ve ever experienced.
“Now the adrenaline is wearing off, I sometimes think I could be planning his funeral right now which is just horrific.
“This attack was 1000 per cent entirely preventable. Carelessness nearly cost our son’s life.”
South Yorkshire Police confirmed the dog remains in police kennels while enquiries continue.
The force said the man has since been released on police bail.
Recounting the horrifying attack, Joanne told how the dog aggressively ran at Roman as he was walking just ahead of her near the park.
She was pushing her eight-month-old son, Marshall, in a pram at the time.
Joanne could see the dog and its owner in the distance but it “changed its stance” when it saw Roman, before growling and attacking him.
It knocked Roman to the ground with its mouth, but luckily Joanne was quickly able to pull him by the legs from underneath the dog.
She immediately called for an ambulance, before Roman was rushed to hospital and treated for his injuries.
Joanne added: “The dog latched onto his face.
“I couldn’t see his face when I pulled him from under dog so I was scared it might have been ripped off.
“When I managed to drag him out and scooped him into my arms the left side of his head was covered in blood.
“There were lots of puncture wounds from the teeth, and part of his hearing was ripped.
“He was in shock before he started screaming, ‘I’m going to die, I’m going to die’.
“A five-year-old should never have to fear for his life like that.”
After Roman “miraculously” survived the attack, Joanna said there are still some concerns about her son’s eye.
She continued: “Roman was taken to the hospital and thankfully by some absolute miracle, the majority of his wounds were superficial.
“It’s his eye we are most worried about at the moment. He’s had surgery on his ear and to close some of the wounds on his face
“There were so many police at the scene, they were amazing.
“Roman was shown so much kindness from the officers who accompanied us to the hospital. He was shell shocked for hours.”
Joanne is now calling for people to be more vigilant when walking their dogs in the park.
She said: “You never think it will be your child, life can change in the blink of an eye.
“We are so so grateful because this attack could have ended our child’s life in an instant.
“My heart aches and I get a lump in my throat every time I look at him. He’s healing well – we want to wrap him up in cotton wool our brave boy.
“I feel like we need to campaign for safety measures – at least we feel like we are doing something.
“You never ever think just walking home from school an irresponsible dog owner would have his aggressive dog off the lead.”
Inspector Steve Usher slammed the dog’s owner as “irresponsible” and echoed Joanne’s calls for dogs to be kept on leads in public spaces.
He 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 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.”
