Mother of two-year-old girl savaged by 'good family dog' warns of dangers of keeping Bull mastiffs

A mother has warned of the dangers of keeping Bullmastiffs after her two-year-old daughter was mauled when a pet dog turned on her. The animal, described as 'a good family dog', has been put down following the attack on Katie-Scarlett Belsten-Rogers. Her mother Julie Belsten, of Penybont, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, Wales, is warning other parents about the dangers of English Bullmastiffs around young children. 'She was only playing in the kitchen, then when she walked past the dog, out of nowhere, it went for her face.'

Bloodied: Two-year-old Katie-Scarlett Belsten-Rogers was left with several injuries afte being savaged by the pet. Her mother is now warning of the dangers of keeping English Bullmastiffs around young children

The dog managed to take the skin off of the youngster’s eyebrow, as well as pierce two holes underneath one of her eyes, the bridge of her nose and by the side of her mouth, with its teeth. 'What is even more terrifying is that it could have been a whole lot worse than this!' said Julie.

The English Bullmastiff belonged to Julie’s boyfriend's mother and was put down following the incident. 'People, parents especially, need to be made aware that these dogs around young children can be really dangerous. It’s an absolutely awful thing to see your child go through and I would not wish it on anyone, that’s why I want to warn parents to keep these dogs away from their children because they are really nasty dogs. The picture really says all that I could possibly say, I want people to see what these dogs can do,' she said.

 

(File picture) The English Bullmastiff belonged to Julie¿s boyfriend's mother and was put down following the incident

Prior to the attack, Julie, said she had no real concerns about the dog called Marleen. 'It had gone for other dogs in the past but never children or other people, for that matter. Katie-Scarlett had been around the dog before, I’d never had any reason to worry about her with the dog until that occasion.' The advert for the rescue dog of six months described it as 'a good family dog that was good with pets and good with children.' 'None of that was true, there were no warning signs, it’s terrifying,' said Julie.

THE GUARD DOG THAT BECAME A HOUSEHOLD PET

The Bullmastiff owes its origins by cross breeding 60 per cent of the English Mastiff and 40 per cent of the Bulldog in England during the 1800s.

It was originally used to protect animal farms from thieves and primarily used as watchdogs that raised an alarm to any intrusion.

The breed is large, with a powerful bodyframe, but it is also an intelligent and agile dog, which makes it an excellent watchdog.

However, Bullmastiffs are aggressive when provoked and strong enough to catch hold of an man, pin him down to the floor and hold him there for long periods of time.

Trainers say a firm, although not harsh, approach is needed to discipline them properly, or else things may get out of control.

They also say this dog breed must be taught to socialise at an early age, as it can become aggressive towards other dogs and strangers.

 Source: Daily Mail UK 

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