A mum has shared the horrifying moment her daughter came home “covered in blood” after being attacked by a neighbour’s dog.
She is now hitting back at Police Scotland, saying they have “failed” her family.
Gillian Dempster was at home cleaning up the dishes after cooking dinner when her daughter Rose asked to go play with a friend.
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An hour later, the 4-year-old was shocked when her five-year-old daughter came home screaming.
“She was playing with her friend on a swing when the pit bull got out the back door and made a beeline for her,” Gillian, from Bishopbriggs, Glasgow, told Need To Know.
“It knocked her to the ground and got on top of her.
“She said it was scratching at her body and biting her head.
“At that point, Rose hadn’t realised that the dog had partly torn her ear from her scalp.
“Her face and side of her head were bleeding.
“She was shaking violently and carried on saying, ‘The dog bit me mum’.
“I was so shocked at the sight of her with so much blood.
“I was just traumatised seeing Rose like that.
“I took one look [at her] and knew we needed to go to A&E.
“It was upsetting, she was covered in blood [that was] pouring from her head.”
The pit bull’s owners were not home but a friend of theirs, a woman, was in the property at the time.
She reportedly came out after hearing the child’s scream and threw water on the dog to get it off.
Gillian rushed her crying daughter to hospital and police were called to A&E to note down a report of the attack.
She said: “They [the doctors] checked her head to see if it was split open.
“When they moved her ear to look behind it, the skin flopped towards her scalp.
“At the time, my main priority was to get Rose through what had happened to her, and the fact that she was going need to have her lips, ear and a large laceration under her eye operated on in theatre.
“So I gave them [the police] my story, then went back to my girl.”
The little girl underwent surgery the following day.
She said: “The plastic surgeon team at the hospital told me Rose was very lucky.
“She had a missing cartridge in her ear where the teeth had punctured her.
“We were so lucky that Rose wasn’t being brought to a mortuary, we could have lost her that day.”
But the mum isn’t happy with how the case has been treated.
The attack happened on 11 September this year.
Nearly two months later, on 8 November, the police went back to the family with an update.
She said: “Knowing that Rose is lucky to be still here makes me so angry.
“[I am even] angrier that the police don’t see this as serious as it is.
“The police said that they wouldn’t be charging or having the dog destroyed as Rose wasn’t in a public place, and the dog hadn’t attacked anyone before.
“I am saddened that Rose has this trauma and scars, she will have them for life and nothing is being done.
“She now suffers from nightmares and is awaiting play therapy from her school to help her process the trauma.
“I promised her that someone would be held accountable and I will make sure that we do get justice for her.
“No dog should be able to live after attacking anyone – even more so a child.
“It sickens me.
“She could have died.”
Rose is now awaiting a follow-up appointment with the hospital.
Gillian said: “She is still bleeding from her ear.
“The plastics team have said that if Rose feels that the scars are affecting her when she is older, they will look to do a reconstruction.”
However, this is not enough for Gillian.
She added: “Police Scotland have failed my daughter.
“They have let us down.
“This dog shouldn’t be alive.”
Jam Press has reached out to Police Scotland for comment.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 8.40pm on Wednesday, 11 September 2024, officers received a report of a dog attack on Tresta Road, Glasgow.
“Enquiries were carried out and advice and assistance were given.
“No further police action was required.”
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