Another sad day, dog kills little girl UK

[Judith]

Another awful story of thing going wrong, the family recently rescued the Mastiff which killed the little girl while playing outside, investigations are still going on, so very sad.
Four-year-old girl dies after being mauled by ‘enormous’ pet dog

Tuesday 5 Nov 2013 10:46 pm
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Savaged: Lexi Hudson with the French mastiff which is thought to have killed her (Picture: Caters)
A girl of four has died after being savaged by her ‘enormous’ pet dog.

Lexi Hudson was playing with the animal, thought to have been the family’s French mastiff, when it turned on her.

Neighbours said she was ‘shaken like a rag doll’ in the attack outside her home this afternoon.

Her mother, Jodi Hudson, 30, stabbed the dog to death as she desperately tried to wrestle her daughter out of its jaws.

Emergency crews took Lexi to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham but she died of her injuries.

The dog, a rescue animal, had been living with the family for only a few weeks in their flat in the Leicestershire village of Mountsorrel.

Police removed the animal’s body after the attack. It is not a prohibited breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Neighbour Glenn Shepphard, 36, said he saw Ms Hudson with blood and mud on her arms and legs. ‘She had obviously tried to wrestle with the dog. It was very big – a type I have never seen before.’

Arthur Nash, a 67-year-old retired driver, said: ‘I saw Jodi after it happened. She was covered in blood.’

Mauled to death: Lexi Hudson (Picture: NTI)
Ms Hudson had picked the dog up from a pound, according to family friend Paul Ryan. He said: ‘Lexi was always playing with it and wouldn’t have stood a chance if it went for her.

‘Jodi used to try and walk the dog, but it would struggle and pulled her over a few times. She would never have dreamt in a million years that something like this could have happened.

Male mastiffs can weigh up to 68kg (150lb) and stand 69cm (2ft) tall at the shoulder.

Lily Parks, 87, who lives near the family, said: ‘It was an enormous dog, but the little girl was very fond of it.’

Lexi had only started school in September, according to neighbours.

Leicestershire police said its investigation was in the ‘very early stages’.


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[MyBuddy]

Sad, sad, sad. Another case of leaving a child alone with a dog, especially one that don't really know or bonded with. Such a horrible loss for the family. I don't think these dogs are known to be aggressive either. I wonder if it was playing? and the size difference was just too much? My neighbor has a Bull Mastiff, a bit smaller then the Mastiffs but still a massive dog ( and a bit overweight! ) and I know he can knock me down!

 

[jhwdc]

New, big, rescue, child. Where on God's green earth is it okay to put those words together? So sad.

 

[iceman]

This story is full of red flags!!

First of all, no rescue organization should have allowed such a large (and strong) dog to be re-homed by a family with small a child...
....living in a flat is another!!

Usually there is a good reason dogs to end up at rescue places and majority of the time the issue is to do with the temperament of the dog..

The child being allowed to play with such a strong dog, rescued only few weeks ago is another red flag!!

Cant believe such a tragedy has been allowed to happen in UK due to negligence!! They are usually good at handling safety issues..

 

[Judith]

In my thoughts there must have been signs from this dog before it finally attacked I always think this is the last straw for the dog, lots of dog owners do not know and are unable to see those signs, I don't know what rescue it was but I think they have got this placement all wrong, like Ice said, that little girl just did not stand a chance when you see the picture of them both together, bless her.

 

[Dobs4ever]

People caused this, but for a mother to leave her child with a large rescued dog is beyond STUPID. It is just beyond my comprehension that a family would take a big breed rescue when they have children. MB FRENCH mastiff - they are bred to protect it has nothing to do with aggression. It has to do with poor people handling of a dominant breed dog bred to PROTECT and that word brings with it a lot of responsibility. That is why we say THESE DOGS ARE NOT FOR EVERYONE.....they are BRED to be protectors so must have strong solid training.

Honestly I can't believe any mother would put any child at risk in such a way. You can believe the AR groups will have a field day with this one as it gives them more fuel for their fires. Honestly we are putting the blame on the wrong object..........................................................................................................the dog.

I certainly am not for any dog killing a child but honestly I am not for anyone so stupid having a dog or a child. It is like playing with a loaded gun.

 

[iceman]

It is just beyond my comprehension that a family would take a big breed rescue when they have children.

I cannot put 100% blame on the family for homing this dog..

Ordinary people cannot know about the risk or danger of owning such a dog...all they see is a large cuddly dog they can take home..

I think biggest mistake was done by the rescue organization for allowing such a dog to go to this family

and I am pretty sure who ever is responsible for (authorizing )rehoming of this dog, will pay!!!

 

[Dobs4ever]

Ice I agree with your point but still this is not the dark ages. I always considered it my responsibility as a parent to protect and keep my children safe. If not the family then who????? While I agree the rescue has some responsibility I am not sure that the dog ever exhibited any problem prior. BIG dog - unknown background - small child - new home - not supervised, not trained and family could not walk the dog............guess what dogs are not human do not think like we do - do not respond in rational thought process as humans yet we try to humanize them calling ourselves PET PARENTS GAG - we are owners. Maybe if we got that right we might have more folks with a little common sense around dogs period.

I believe as parents we are responsible for our children so it is always shocking to me that any parent would be so careless - we have TV, newspapers - the radio - the internet, tablets - books - there is no reason to be just downright careless with a child. I do agree they do not deserve 100% of the blame but they put the child and the dog in that situation.

Sorry - I just get so upset when people do something so stupid and a child pays the ultimate price. I will try to calm down later right now it is beyond me.

 

[BradysMom]

sad sad story and i agree with the above, i believe the dog is the last to blame. what a tragedy

 

[iceman]

Update...

Apparently the dog responsible for the death of the poor girl is not the the French Mastiff in the photo..this dog belonged to the girls uncle.

From what I hear on FB, that the dog which attacked and caused fatal injuries to the child was a bulldog of some kind..

Msn report was : 'Bubbly' girl killed by pet bulldog

 

[iceman]

BBC's version BBC News - Lexi Branson attack: Mother stabbed killer dog

 

[Betty]

Very, Very sad!!!

 

[Dobs4ever]

So am I reading that the dog might have been a stray picked up at the park and not from a rescue???

 

[iceman]

So am I reading that the dog might have been a stray picked up at the park and not from a rescue???

According to BBC, The family got the dog from a rehoming centre two months ago.

 

[iceman]

SKY news article

The bulldog, called Mulan, was a stray found by council dog wardens in a park several months earlier.
Mulan had been with the family for just two months, after they picked him up from the Willow Rehoming Centre in Barrow-upon-Soar, Leicestershire.

Mulan had been picked up by the family from a rehoming centre weeks earlier
The history of the dog - believed to be six to eight years old - is currently part of the police investigation.
Police said the animal - not a banned breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act - was fatally knifed during attempts to save Lexi.

 

[MyBuddy]

Gosh, it shows you misconstrued facts get!

My thoughts on the Mastiff remain......they are "normally" a passive breed.

If people take away anything from this, I hope its that you never leave children and pets alone together.

My heart breaks every time I look at that little girl. How horrific it must have been for that mother to come upon this and then fight for the life of her child. I don't even want to think about it.

 

[MyBuddy]

Four-year-old girl dies after being mauled by ‘enormous’ pet dog

And really.............if this is the Uncles dog, why do they picture it here with the girl, saying she was 'mauled by an enormous pet." ! If it wasn't by this dog, I'd be pretty insulted that they used my photo with that headline!

 

[Dobs4ever]

It is all about sensationalism ............................the AR groups have been very successful using that too against us and the news media fans the fuel ........... I agree that to use the Uncle's dog is very misleading ..............Hopefully some idiot will be and think before getting a rescued dog with small children, leaving children and dogs alone unsupervised.... I could go on about leaving children or dogs in hot cars etc etc etc etc.

 

[Gelcoater]

It is all about sensationalism ............................the AR groups have been very successful using that too against us and the news media fans the fuel ...etc.

pretty much sounds like it.Sad fact,they're using a girls death to bump their agenda.We can all expect to see what ever breed of dog did this to be placed on "the list" any second now.

 

[Tasha & Boris' Mom]

For myself I can't imagine leaving a 4 year old alone with a dog you are not completely confident in its behavior. I have a 6 year old, 4 year old and 9 month grandchildren that live with us. i trust my dogs to an extent but they are still puppies and developing, I never leave them alone with the kids and lately I have been overly cautious with Tasha, my 4 year old likes to ride Boris. She is very small for her age and Boris is gentle but Tasha doesn't seem to like when she gets to cuddly with her so I am very careful about allowing contact, you don't get a second chance with a child. I just can't imagine how painful it would be to lose a child this way.

When I was about 6 we had neighbors that lived across the street from us in Nevada. They had kids that were around me and my sisters ages so on this day we were in the back yard sitting around the picnic table, their German Sheppard was chained but could reach where we were, he was a sweetheart never aggressive he just jumped the fence so they kept him chained. Me, being the dog lover I am was standing next to this dog stroking his head and ears, not looking at him but talking to the other kids that were sitting at the table, about 5 or 6 of us. Then for no apparent reason he was on top of me and had my face in his mouth, his tooth punctured under my chin. The kids screamed at him and he let go and of course parents came running out of the house and off to the hospital I went. Later the owners explained they are native american and their skin is very tough and they played with him rough because it didn't hurt them when he play bit and that he was just trying to play with me. I was old enough to remember everything that happened. There was absolutely no reason for him to suddenly jump on me and bite my face, I was very lucky the only puncture was under my chin. This was in the early 70's and I remember the sheriff coming and telling me he would make sure that dog would never hurt anyone else,which horrified me that they were going to kill it. I cried until my dad told them to leave the dog alone it was only playing and after all it was chained in their back yard. My point is sometimes dogs of all breeds get excited or nervous and react strangely sometimes, small children should never be left alone with a pet that your not confident is harmless even under stress.

Very sad story - Prayers for the family this is going to be a long and difficult journey for the parents.