Dad speaks out after toddler son attacked by Border Collie dog inside Old Leyland Gates pub
A dad whose toddler son was bitten in the face by a dog left tied up inside a Leyland pub has spoken out.
Jack Gilday, 23, had to prise the Border Collie off his terrified boy after it lunged for the 20-month-old inside the Old Leyland Gates pub, near Morrisons in Golden Hill Lane, last Saturday.
An ambulance was called to the scene and the boy was taken to hospital for emergency treatment.
Dad speaks out
Jack, who will marry his fiancé Katie on Monday, had taken his son Freddie to the family-friendly pub for his tea while the boy’s mum visited Blackpool for her hen do.
Father and son were walking hand-in-hand past tables when the black and white Collie suddenly lunged at Freddie’s face and bit him on the mouth.
“It was horrible, the dog bit straight through Freddie’s top lip, leaving three puncture wounds between his lips and nose,” said Jack.
“They called the ambulance and we took him to hospital. He was seen by plastics and they said no surgery was needed. But they said it will leave him with three scars above his mouth.”
In the frantic moments after the attack, the dog’s owner returned to his table, untied his dog and fled the pub before police and paramedics arrived at the scene.
Police searching for dog’s owner
Lancashire Police said the dog’s owner has failed to come forward and enquiries are ongoing to identify him.
Jack is also urging the man to ‘do the right thing’ and hand himself in before his dog harms another person.
“It was completely unprovoked,” said Jack. “I was a bit upset reading comments on Facebook about it, with people saying it must be my fault, why wasn’t I watching my son. But they don’t know how it happened.
“We were just walking past the table when the dog went for Freddie. He was tied up, but very loosely and he could move around freely.
“The dog’s owner was watching sports on the screen at the other side of the pub and had just left his dog alone, unsupervised. It wasn’t safe.
“It’s a family-friendly pub which serves food, and this was tea time. There’s always families with children in at this time.
“The pub manager has been great, he’s been checking on us regularly and has handed the CCTV footage to police. He said the man, who is a bit of a regular at the pub, has been banned.
“I really would like to see the dog’s owner do the right thing and come forward. I don’t know what the outcome will be for the dog, but I’d hate to see this happen again to another child.
“What happened to Freddie is bad enough. He’s going to be scarred by this experience. We’re getting married on Monday (March 16), and Freddie’s wounds on those wedding pictures will be a constant reminder.
“Katie should have been enjoying her hen do in Blackpool but instead I had to call her and tell her our son has been attacked by a dog and bitten in the face. She was horrified and came home straight away.
“It’s been a nightmare and it could have been a lot worse.”
Police statement
A police spokesperson said: “We were called at just after 5pm on Saturday after a one-and-a-half-year-old boy was bitten to the lip by a dog at the Old Leyland Gates pub, Leyland.
“The child was taken by ambulance to hospital for treatment and enquiries are ongoing to identify the dog’s owners.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Lancashire Police on log 1079 of March 7.