Thursday, August 2, 2001

Manchester, England -- A 10-year-old boy has had 32 stitches in his face after being savaged by a rottweiler.

Liam Baker was dragged to the floor and bitten by the dog, which was pulled off him by passers-by.

The attack happened when Liam and his mother Catherine Gartside left a fish and chip shop near their home in the Werneth area of Oldham. The dog was with a man, who ran off with the animal.

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Ms Gartside said: "I was terrified. Liam was screaming and there was blood everywhere. This dog needs to be found before it kills a child.

"It has left Liam's face quite disfigured. I dread to think what would have happened if those people had not pulled the dog away."

Liam, who suffered cuts to his right eye, his cheek and his lip, an area affected by previous operations to correct a birthmark, said: "I didn't do anything to the dog, it just went straight for me and pushed me to the ground and I started screaming."

A Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman appealed for information about the incident, which happened last Friday.

The man who was with the dog was described as white, aged about 19, slim, and with short dark hair.

An Alameda police spokeswoman said the boy was transported to Children's Hospital Oakland and the woman was taken to Alameda Hospital. The extent of their injuries and the pair's relationship were unclear.

Police said the dog was being held by animal control officers while an investigation continued.

©1999-2001 by MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG Newspapers

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