A 12-year-old girl has been left with life-changing injuries after an attack by a ‘fighting dog’.
The girl was rushed to hospital after the ‘distressing incident’ in Brynmawr, south Wales, at around 5.50pm on Monday.
Gwent Police were called to a home after an out of control dog ‘bred for fighting’ravaged the victim.
A 37-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman, both from the Brynmawr area, were arrested on suspicion of owning or possessing a dog bred for fighting and owning or possessing a dog dangerously out of control.
Their dog was seized by officers and will be ‘destroyed’, while the pair remain in police custody.
Superintendent John Davies said: ‘This was a distressing incident for everyone involved.
Animal fighting – such as dog fighting, cockfighting, bear baiting and badger baiting – was outlawed in the UK in 1835.
The law bans not only fighting, but also owning fighting dogs and training them for such purposes.
The maximum fine is £20,000 and up to a year in prison.
Dog fighting remains a significant animal welfare issue and it is one of the ‘most horrific forms of organised animal cruelty’, the League Against Brutal Sports warned.
Training methods brutalise the animals and fights inflict untold physical and mental suffering on them for life.
‘I would like to reassure the local community there is no further risk to the public.
‘It is possible that you may see ongoing police activity in Brynmawr as part of this work.
‘You may have also seen an increased presence earlier this evening while officers were attending the incident.
‘If you have concerns or information, please stop and talk with us.’
This is the latest dog attack in the UK in which a child has been brutalised.
It was just last week that a six-year-old girl was hospitalised after being bitten by a Japanese Akita dog in West Sussex.
An XL Bully dog ragged the head of a 10-year-old child in Doncaster back in July.
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