A family of the United Kingdom, is asking people to sign a petition to
save their dog that bit a boy in the face while taking a selfie.
The incident took place while an 11-year-old boy was playing at his friend’s house.
While the boy was sitting on the family’s couch, their dog named Digby, a husky, jumped up and got close to the boy.
The boy took a Snapchat selfie with the dog before it attacked him.
The boy suffered horrific injuries after being bitten in the face by the
dog, and he needed 21 stitches, the Chelmsford Magistrates Court
heard.
The court heard that this is the second time that the dog attacked a
child. The dog’s owner, Stuart Harris, 45, pleaded guilty to having a
dangerously out of control dog.
Harris was sentenced to 200 hours of community work. He was ordered to
pay the victim £5,000 ($6,600) as well as £170 ($225) in court costs.
The judge also ordered the dog to be euthanized.
Stuart’s wife, Sharon, 47, does not want her dog to be euthanized. She
is desperately trying to raise money for a lawyer to is appeal the
decision.
Sharon said: “To me, it’s outrageous. He is a beautiful, friendly,
loving dog. He is not vicious and he is not a risk to anyone. We are not
these awful dog owners you hear about.”
She also said that the boy provoked the attack by taking the selfie as
“it is common knowledge that you should never put your face in a dog’s
face as they feel threatened.
“The only way that it could have protected itself was by using its
teeth. Dogs are not able to tell someone to get out of their face or
punch them away, it is their only way of defending themselves,” she
added.