Boy, 2, 'lucky to be alive' after bully dog attack

A mother said her two-year-old son was lucky to be alive after he was "horrifically" attacked by a pocket bully dog while trick or treating.

Danielle Gunston said she and four other adults and six children were knocking on doors in Bexhill on Halloween when a dog ran out and bit her son Alfred's face.

He was left with a broken jaw, missing teeth, 15 small punctures and two deep lacerations on his cheek and neck, which the 33-year-old said could scar.

Ms Gunston, of Bexhill, East Sussex, is now calling for a law to require the owners of certain dog breeds to display a sign outside their house to warn people.

She also wants to raise awareness about what people can do in the event of a dog attack.

"All of a sudden there was a horrendous growl and this dog came running and pounced on Alfred," Ms Gunston said. "It pinned him to the floor.

"The children went running. They were screaming."

Alfred's father and another man in the group managed to prise his head from its jaws.

Ms Gunston described the dog as a pocket bully.

The pocket is a variant of the American bully breed, which includes the larger and more muscular XL.

The UK government made it a criminal offence to possess a bully XL without a valid certificate of exemption from February 2024, following a spate of attacks. However, this does not apply to the smaller pocket variant.

Sussex Police confirmed to the BBC that no arrests have been made following the incident, which they were investigating.

The force said the dog had since been put down under the Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991.

Alfred's grandmother and his three siblings witnessed the attack, which Ms Gunston said had left them "absolutely traumatised".

One of her children was now having counselling.

She said they rushed Alfred to A&E and he is now recovering at home after a metal plate was fitted in his jaw at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead.

"We are in absolute awe of Alfred," Ms Gunston said. "He has been so brave."