Plea for dog who bit 10-year-old Lucie Leach's face in New Milton to be destroyed

Distraught mum Emily Leach, whose daughter was savagely attacked by the dog, has called for the dog to be destroyed as she fears it could attack another child.

She was left disgusted after a judge refused to put down the Border collie that mauled her 10-year-old daughter, leaving her face “hanging open”.

Despite her pleas to have the dog destroyed, its owners, Eleanor and Ronald Foster (below), escaped with an £800 fine.

As previously reported, Lucie, who had dreams of being a vet, was stroking the dog in Cadhay Close, New Milton, when it suddenly “snapped” and sunk its teeth into her cheek.

The terrified youngster was left with deep cuts to her face – one only centimetres away from her eye – and was rushed to hospital where she had four wounds stitched.

Mrs Leach said: “My daughter asked the owners to stroke the dog and the border collie jumped at her face, biting it numerous times.

“It left Lucie screaming and her face hanging open and we had to take her to hospital to have emergency surgery to her face. I was devastated and frightened for my daughter.”

District Judge David Bolton took into account that the 12-year-old dog had no previous record of behaving dangerously, and ordered that it should wear a muzzle and be on a lead at all times in public places.

But Mrs Leach, who was not at Southampton Magistrates Court for the hearing, believes more needed to be done.

She added: “It needs to have a muzzle but what happens when someone visits the house? They could be permanently scared or killed.”

Eleanor, 60, and husband Ronald, 61, of Cadhay Close, New Milton, were both said to have co-operated fully with police after the incident on April 4 and complied with a behaviour contract drawn up by officers.

Roger Peach, representing both defendants, said: “The young child went right up to the dog because she clearly loves animals.

“Unhappily, it has been accepted from the beginning, the dog snapped and bit the little girl.

“I must make it clear that my clients were quite distressed by this – they were upset and it seemed almost to be a terrible accident.”

District Judge David Bolton said: “For a young child it’s understandably distressing and it’s fortunate that the bite doesn’t appear to have left long-term scarring.

“The dog has no history of any behaviour of this type and you have complied with the behaviour contract that the police have drawn up. I am not going to make a destruction order.”

The pair were fined £400 each for allowing the dog to be dangerously out-of-control in a public place and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 each.