Mother fights off bull mastiff with her bare hands as it rips puppy to pieces and attacks daughter’s buggy

-31-year-old seriously injured as she pushed her hands into dog's mouth to save her two children


By JAYA NARAIN

Scarred for life: Karen Greaves needed surgery for serious tissue damage after the bull mastiff ripped into her hands


A mother took on a berserk dog with her bare hands after the snarling bull mastiff threatened her two young children in a park.

Karen Greaves, 31, suffered horrific injuries as she grabbed its jaws to save terrified youngsters, Dylan, five, and four-month-old Amelia, who had already seen the dog rip to pieces their King Charles spaniel puppy, Molly.

Their ordeal happened just after Mrs Greaves and the children had enjoyed a picnic in the park.


She said: ‘Out of nowhere, with no warning, this huge dog appeared and attacked Molly pretty much straight away, and it killed her in front of my little boy.

‘I did everything to stop it but it wouldn’t let go. The dog seemed to have a split personality and just snapped.

‘I did everything I could to try to wrestle it from Molly but it had a look in its eyes that said it wasn’t going to stop for anything.

‘Eventually it spat her out after ripping her apart. It seemed to then get a wild streak – perhaps it was the euphoria of killing her – and knocked Amelia’s buggy to the ground.

‘Both of my children were screaming and I thought the worst. I feared for them so I lay across the back of it and put my hands in its mouth. It basically then ate my hands and they looked like they had been through a shredder. I was covered in blood, it was pandemonium.

‘It was devastating to see your puppy killed in front of your eyes and my son has taken it very badly, it has traumatised him.’

Mrs Greaves was repeatedly bitten in the attack in Platt Fields, south Manchester, and had to undergo surgery on her hands. The bull mastiff was being walked by its female owner, but not on a lead, when it launched its attack.

Terrifying: Karen Greaves, pictured with husband Jonathan, wrestled with the bull mastiff to stop it attacking her children Dylan and Amelia. She said her son has been traumatised by the event


The incident was witnessed by around 20 people and many of the horrified onlookers stepped in to help, including the dog’s owner.

A group of teenage girls also grabbed Amelia and Dylan and hurried them to safety until police arrived. Mrs Greaves, a travel agent, was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary by ambulance and was transferred to another hospital for specialist surgery to repair tissue damage and puncture wounds to her hands.

She spent three days in hospital and was discharged with her hands and arms swathed in bandages.

Doctors have told her that her injuries will heal but say she will be scarred for life.

The dog’s owner later had it destroyed and has offered to pay compensation to the family for their ordeal.

Mrs Greaves and her husband Jonathan, 37, of Withington, Manchester, now want all dogs banned from public parks to ensure children are protected.

She said: ‘The whole thing was needless and pointless. These dogs shouldn’t be allowed in a park with children.

‘I’ll be left with scars but it could have been more serious. I don’t want any other families to go through this.’


Powerful: A Bull Mastiff, similar to the one on the left, attacked the King Charles Spaniel, similar to this one, right


source:dailymail