WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Teddy Kerr’s grandma has mounted a campaign to get XL Bully dogs banned in Scotland after the five-year-old boy was brutally mauled at a property in Paisley, Scotland
An XL Bully attack has left a young boy with life-changing injuries so severe that doctors were forced to perform facial reconstructive surgery.
Teddy Kerr, five, was the victim of a brutal attack at a home in Paisley, Scotland, on November 3 in which the dog tore into his head and body. He was rushed to hospital while visiting family friends with his mum, Chelsey, 32, and two sisters Brooke, 10, and Taylor, 9, who watched on while the attack unfolded.
They saw the dog turn on the young boy and rip into his back before pinning him to the floor and sinking its teeth into his face. Medics took him to the Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) with blood pouring from his cheek, and he has since received more than 100 stitches to his face.
The youngster’s grandma, Marian Hanratty, said she feared her grandson was going to die following the attack. She told the Daily Record: “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.”
Ms Hanratty added that her devastated grandson can’t physically smile, and screams when he sees the damage the dog wrought on his face. He said: “He is only five, but he will be scarred for life after this. He is such a gorgeous wee boy and to see him like this makes me feel physically sick.
“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. His big sisters were also shocked when they went into hospital to see him and they are still dealing with the trauma of witnessing the attack.”
“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.” The grandma described the moment Teddy’s mum found out about the attack, saying she was alerted after her daughters ran “screaming” into the kitchen.
Doctors initially feared Teddy’s lung was punctured by the attack, and a specialist plastic surgeon was called in to operate on his face. Ms Hanratty has called on the Scottish government to enact a ban on XL Bullys, saying: “What happened to Teddy should be enough to see them outlawed. The legislation isn’t good enough in Scotland.”
Police have since charged a 41-year-old man in connection with the incident after a Police Scotland spokesperson said officers were called to the scene at around 8.05pm on November 3. The spokesperson added that the dog has been destroyed.
