Waterlooville community rocked after Staffordshire Bull Terrier sinks teeth into infant

A WATERLOOVILLE community has been rocked after a Staffordshire Bull Terrier sunk its teeth into an infant during a vicious attack – before the child was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment.
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Eyewitnesses were left fearing the worst when they spotted an 18-month old laid precariously on the grass covered in a blanket outside a notorious block of flats in Tennyson Crescent just after 4.30pm.

Emergency services descended on the scene after being called by horrified members of the public before the toddler was taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital.

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Despite fears the child may have been savaged to death in the attack – thought to have taken place inside the block – authorities have confirmed the infant is alive, with it being treated for ‘non-life threatening injuries’.

Tennyson CrescentTennyson Crescent
Tennyson Crescent

Police remained in the area for more than two hours after the incident with officers seen combing the road outside the infamous block for clues. The authority said it was attempting to ‘establish exactly what happened’.

South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) said the infant was attacked on its hand.

The dog, meanwhile, has not been taken away according to residents.

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‘There’s all kinds of chaos that happens over in that block with drug dealing and drug taking,’ one eyewitness said.

Tennyson CrescentTennyson Crescent
Tennyson Crescent

‘I saw the baby carried outside from the block before it was put on the floor in a blanket – it looked bad. The ambulance then turned up and took it to hospital.

‘There was shouting and screaming. It was all going off outside the block.’

Another resident said: ‘I can’t wait to move out of this area. There’s always drug dealing and domestic assaults going on around here.

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‘I’ve got a young child and I don’t want to let it play outside knowing there is a dog like that on the loose.’

A nearby neighbour added: ‘It’s shocking. You don’t see that many dogs around here but you wouldn’t expect this sort of thing to happen. Dogs should be kept on a lead.’

A spokesman for SCAS said: ‘We were contacted by Hampshire Police Control Room at 4.32pm informing us that an 18-month-old child had been attacked by a neighbour’s dog at a property on Tennyson Crescent and requiring our support at the incident they were attending.

‘We sent an ambulance to the scene and the ambulance crew treated the child who had received injuries to their hand and they were then taken to the QA Hospital for further assessment and treatment.’

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