Girl, three, needed EIGHTY stitches after being attacked by husky at grandmother’s house - but owner refuses to have him put down

  • Maddison Green underwent a two-hour operation after the attack
  • Husky dog Zeus was owned by her grandmother's partner Dave Sellwood
  • Loophole means dog will not have to be put down because the attack happened on private land in Newport, south Wales
  • Mr Sellwood has refused to have his pet destroyed voluntarily

By Rob Cooper

PUBLISHED: 05:56 EST, 27 December 2013 | UPDATED: 19:10 EST, 27 December 2013


Dog attack: Maddison Green was forced to have 80 stitches after being mauled by her grandparents' dog

Dog attack: Maddison Green was forced to have 80 stitches after being mauled by her grandparents' dog

A three-year-old girl was left needing 80 stitches in her face after she was mauled by a husky dog in her grandmother's home - sparking a bitter family row.

Maddison Green was forced to undergo a two-hour operation after being attacked by the pet as she was being taken bed in Newport, South Wales.

Her grandmother’s partner is refusing to have his husky - called Zeus - put down despite the attack.

If the incident had happened in a public place the dog could have been put down - but the law does not apply on private land. The government has pledged to removed the loophole next year.

Maddison’s father Craig said Zeus jumped forwards and bit into her face last Saturday.

After she was treated at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport he has called for the dog to be put down - but his own stepfather Dave Sellwood, 41, has said no.

Craig Green, 28, of Porth, Rhondda, said: 'I cannot believe that there is nothing we can do to prevent this dog from attacking again.

'My stepfather is refusing to put the dog down. He regards it like a child. But it could have killed my daughter.

'He has no children of his own, but Maddison has been brought up to call him grandad. I cannot believe he is putting the dog first.'

 

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Anger: Maddison's father Craig said that the husky called Zeus should be destroyed after it mauled his daughter

Anger: Maddison's father Craig said that the husky called Zeus should be destroyed after it mauled his daughter

Attack: Maddison was forced to undergo a two-hour operation after being mauled by her grandparents' pet

Attack: Maddison was forced to undergo a two-hour operation after being mauled by her grandparents' pet

DOG OWNER CANNOT FACE PROSECUTION FOR ATTACK WHICH TOOK PLACE ON PRIVATE LAND

Dog owners cannot be prosecuted if their pet attacks a person if the attack takes place on private land.

The Dangerous Dogs Act currently only covers 'maulings' in public places.

However, the government has vowed to change the law after 14-year-old Jade Anderson was killed.

No one could be prosecuted for the attack by four bull mastiff-type dogs in Athertron, Greater Manchester, because it happened on private land.

Under the law, introduced in 1991, it is an offence to be the owner of a dog that was dangerously out of control in a public place or a 'non-public place in which it is not permitted to be'.

The reform will change the wording of the law to cover all attacks, regardless of where they take place.

Mr Green said changing the dangerous dogs law needs to be changed now so the husky can be destroyed.

He added: 'The law should be changed right now. We have to stop this from happening. How can a little girl be injured and no one be held responsible?'

Fitness trainer Mr Sellwood, 41, who lives with his wife Catherine, has told Craig there is 'no point' in putting the dog down now.

Mr Green said: 'He has told me and my partner that now the attack has happened there is no point in killing his pet. But it is totally absurd. The husky could have killed Maddison.'

On the night of the attack last Saturday Maddison was staying with her grandmother.

Mr Green and his partner, Cerys Shirley, 24, had left her with their son David, four, and his brother’s children to stay the night.

Mr Green added: 'When we got the call about what had happened it was horrible. Cerys is devastated - it seems utterly unfair that no one is responsible for this in the eyes of the law.'

More than 6,400 people a year are admitted into British hospitals for micro-surgery to life-changing injuries caused by dogs. One in six victims is under ten.

Mr Sellwood said: 'Craig wasn’t even here when it happened, whatever he says is just hearsay. Apart from that, I’ve got nothing else to say.'

Row: Dave Sellwood, pictured here with his wife and Maddison's grandmother Catherine, has refused to have his beloved husky put down

Row: Dave Sellwood, pictured here with his wife and Maddison's grandmother Catherine, has refused to have his beloved husky put down

Disagreement: Dave Sellwood, pictured with his wife Catherine, was looking after his grandchildren when the dog attacked

Disagreement: Dave Sellwood, pictured with his wife Catherine, was looking after his grandchildren when the dog attacked

Attack: This is Zeus, the husky which mauled Maddison Green last weekend, just days before Christmas

Attack: This is Zeus, the husky which mauled Maddison Green last weekend, just days before Christmas

Family row: Maddison's grandmother's partner has refused to have his beloved pet put down despite the attack

Family row: Maddison's grandmother's partner has refused to have his beloved pet put down despite the attack

Proud: Dave Sellwood, 41, who is Maddison's grandmother's partner holds her hours after she was born in 2010

Proud: Dave Sellwood, 41, who is Maddison's grandmother's partner holds her hours after she was born in 2010

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"The incident has sparked a Christmas family row." That's an understatement. Huskies are gorgeous beautiful dogs and I would love to have a couple, but they are so closely related to wolves I could not trust them with our grand-kids. The wounds look like claw scratches not bites as half her face would be missing from bites.

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When and I mean WHEN this animal attacks someone else, this excuse of a man will be held personally liable. If this little girl were mine, the Grandmother would only see her in MY house. Her partner would not be welcome.

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Dogs should be kept outside the home!

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I am a dog owner and I also have 4 grandchildren.As a dog owner it is my resposibility to make sure that my dog is under control at all times.My dog does get over excited with the grandchildren so i place my dog behind a stair gate to make sure there are no accidents.When you are a grandmother you have to make sure that your grandchildren are safe when they visit you.it only takes a push or a scream by a child to scare a dog .why dont dog owners know this and keep there dog in other rooms when young grandchildren are around .

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"'I cannot believe that there is nothing we can do to prevent this dog from attacking again" Yes there is, don't visit granny. She'll soon get rid of the dog when she realizes she will not see her granddaughter at her house again.

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Unfortunately this story has no detail on if the dog was pulled or hurt by the child at any point and it reacted in a way of self preservation, simply that it jumped forward. As others have said it does not look to be a bite. It is a nasty attack what ever the case the dog will need to be closely watched. However I do often think with many of these stories about dog attacks that not all the detail is there and ofter I think there are other underlying reasons for them... abuse being a major cause. But again the owners and adults should be supervising the animal and child in any situation anyway... This article is biased towards highlighting the dog attacts more than anything.

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He obviously feels no guilt about what happened. That alone should make him have the dog put down. How can they trust the dog again in the future? What happens if it kills a child next time? Stupid irresponsible man.

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From the photos it looks like the dog jumped up and put his paws on her face, i.e. claws, but not in an attack. Dogs attack by biting. Typical for the father to want it put down, rather than examine his behaviour in leaving the child with the grandma and unsupervised with a large dog. It's a pity for the little girl, but clearly isn't the dog's fault and I don't blame the owner for refusing to have the dog put down. Its the adults lack of supervision that creates the risk, not the dog itself, in this case.

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I am a dyed-in -the-wool dog lover I have had dogs all my life and I am 62 and have two Bichon Frise. So I do not say this litely Any dog that attacks no matter how small the damage MUST be put down because it will do it again and it will get worse.If this fool refuses to put this dangerous dog down then he and his dog should be told by this babies grandmother to leave now.If she does not act what kind of Grandmother is she?

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I would get a knife and do it myself. I am an animal lover but I love my child more.

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