4-year old girl killed by dog in Leicestershire

Another tragic story.

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/news/dog_attack_young_girl_dies_after_being_bitten

Not Born Yesterday wrote:Another tragic story.

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/news/dog_attack_young_girl_dies_after_being_bitten

Yes, NBY, it is a terrible tragedy, which could have been avoided. Apparently the Dog came from a rescue centre a few weeks ago , the Mother killed it by repeatedly stabbing it to release her daughter . It is a truly massive dog , I would have been scared of it !!!

as you say panda, the dog is a rescue. there may have been no way of knowing what it had been through which could have had some bearing on it's temperament. having said that, dogs and small children do not always mix well. small children can sometimes make sudden movements that the animal interprets as a threat.

 

 

Marky wrote:as you say panda, the dog is a rescue. there may have been no way of knowing what it had been through which could have had some bearing on it's temperament. having said that, dogs and small children do not always mix well. small children can sometimes make sudden movements that the animal interprets as a threat.

 

Yes marky, I am scared of dogs , don't laugh.  Seriously, when I was a kid , in those days we used to be able to play in the street without the fear of traffic.....one small dog bit my ankle for no reason and another time a big collie dog used to come behind me and put his paws on my shoulders, frightened the life out of me. Another time, we were visiting a Friend who had one of those big white fur dogs, can't think of the breed.
We joined him in taking the dog for a walk and I was invited to take the lead with the promise he was a friendly dog. I held his lead and the next thing I was running like mad with him down the street.!!!!! Give me a Cat any time . 

Why would you bring an animal into your house thats capable of killing your child ?

Some people are fckn stupid.Very sad.

Lioned wrote:Why would you bring an animal into your house thats capable of killing your child ?

Some people are fckn stupid.Very sad.

Lioned if you go to Not Born Yesterday's thread you will see on the video just how big the dog is.!!! It would appear that either the Rescue place did not tell the Parents , or didn't even know the history of the dog themselves. It's a St Bernards dog, massive. not used to children so he turned on the girl and she had no chance..

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/lexi-branson-dog-attack-live-2681208

More pictures of the dog here - it was absolutely enormous; not that the size of dogs is indicative of their likelihood of going berserk.

Not Born Yesterday wrote:http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/lexi-branson-dog-attack-live-2681208

More pictures of the dog here - it was absolutely enormous; not that the size of dogs is indicative of their likelihood of going berserk.

Thanks NBY, the little girl didn't stand a chance did she, maybe tried to play with the dog and the dog didn't want to know and attacked her. I bet the Parents are blaming themselves and the Mother at least tried to stab the dog , It's not often you see a dog that big in a Rescue Centre so with hindsight it would have been prudent to ask why it was there, especially because of it's size.!!!

According to a neighbour, the dog attacked her while she was asleep.

Not Born Yesterday wrote:According to a neighbour, the dog attacked her while she was asleep.

I find that hard to believe , unless she was sleeping on top of him and the dog woke up. It really is an ugly dog , I can't imagine anyone wanting it as a Pet. I presume there will be more news from the Rescue Centre and suspect he was being ill treated .

Panda wrote:

Not Born Yesterday wrote:According to a neighbour, the dog attacked her while she was asleep.

I find that hard to believe , unless she was sleeping on top of him and the dog woke up.  It really is an ugly dog , I can't imagine anyone wanting it as a Pet. I presume there will be more news from the Rescue Centre and suspect he was being ill treated .

i don't. if true it's worth considering that the dog found the child a threat much in the same way a first born can have their nose put out of joint by a new arrival. big difference is a dog will deal with the threat. it's happened before where dog owners have started a family.

 

I love dogs,mostly other peoples as i dont really want a shit machine messing up my garden.
Doesn't matter how big it is,the vast majority will become dangerous if pushed.
A little Jack Russel will take your nose off and quite likely kill a small child,they are 'rat' dogs but lovely pets if looked after.
My Niece has a Labrador and three kids that are old enough to know better now.When the kids were smaller they would do all sorts to that dog behind your back and the poor dog just took it all without a murmour.
I wouldn't trust any dog,no matter what size and temperament,to be left alone with a small child.

People who have the bigger 'muscle' dogs and kids are fckn idiots.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/10429983/Dog-attack-victim-was-bubbly-bright-little-girl-says-mother.html


This is an update and as you can see the dog looks much whiter there.

Cats are far more hygeneic than dogs Lioned, they wash themselves, bury their excrement, purr instead of bark and don't need walkies. 

The cats who mistake my back garden for the local public convenience don't always manage to hide the evidence!

I don't think that the pictures in the different reports can possibly be of the same dog.

Dreadful, dreadful incident - it doesn't bear thinking about what happened.

Dog Attack: Girl Was Killed By 'Stray' Bulldog



Mulan had been picked up by the family from a rehoming centre weeks earlier

Dog Attack: Girl Was Killed By 'Stray' Bulldog
The bulldog that killed Lexi Branson had been with the family for just weeks and ended up being knifed to death by her mum.

Four-year-old Lexi Branson was mauled to death by her pet bulldog, police have said, and the animal died after being stabbed to death by her mother.

Lexi died on Tuesday after the attack in her lounge in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire.

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.

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.

The girl's family have described her as a "shining star in the sky" who will "never be forgotten".

A statement from Lexi's mother Jodie Hudson, and grandmother Kerry Hudson, said: "There's been a tragedy in the family. Lexi was a bubbly, bright little girl.

"She fought for her life from the moment she was born as she was born three months prematurely, she's been taken from us so tragically.

"She will be sadly missed, she will be our shining star in the sky and she will never be forgotten."

Police were called to Lexi's home in a quiet cul-de-sac in Mountsorrel, a village between Leicester and Loughborough, just after noon on Tuesday.

She was taken from the flat to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham where doctors were unable to save her.

Detective Superintendent David Sandall told Sky News that the girl was unwell and had stayed home from school on the day of the attack.

Lexi's death is not being treated as a criminal investigation.

Neighbours have described the four-year-old as a friendly girl who played outside her home and was often seen with quite a large dog.

She lived in a flat with her mother and they had been there for about a year, neighbours added.

Arthur Nash, who lives in Rowena Court, said: "Everybody is in shock at the moment with Lexi dying.

"When I saw an ambulance pull up I thought it was an old lady on the court who had had a heart attack, and then the neighbour came up and said she had been killed by the dog. We're in shock."

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "I always say hello when I pass, and the little girl used to play outside - she used to say hello when she was playing. It is just such a shock, such a sad shock."

Glennis Goddard, who has lived in the road for 27 years, said: "She was very happy, everything was fun - as it is when you're a four-year-old.

"You've only got to look at her and she'd got a big smile on her face."

David Williams, headteacher of Christchurch and St Peter's Church of England Primary School in Mountsorrel, where Lexi had recently started, also paid tribute to the youngster.

He said: "The whole of our school community has been devastated and saddened by the news of Lexi's death.

Animal behaviour consultant Jennifer Dobson said the history and temperament of rescue dogs can sometimes be unknown.

She told Sky News: "Sometimes dogs are rescued and picked up as a stray - there's no history - and a kennel environment is not always the same as it behaves in the home."

Seventeen people have now been killed by dogs in the UK since 2005.

The four people to die in the last 12 months include eight-day-old Harry Harper - attacked by a Jack Russell, and Clifford Clarke, 79, believed to have been attacked by a bull mastiff cross breed.

Despite many attacks being carried out by legal dogs, a spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said there were no plans to change the list of banned breeds.

http://news.sky.com/story/1164347/dog-attack-girl-was-killed-by-stray-bulldog

Young children shouldn't be left alone. Period. It doesn't really matter if there's a dog around, a cat, a bird, a knife, a kettle, a pair of scissors or a lighter. Anything can be potentially fatal for small children.

Dog Attack: Girl Was Killed By 'Stray' Bulldog

The bulldog that killed Lexi Branson had been with the family for just weeks and ended up being knifed to death by her mum.

10:14pm UK, Wednesday 06 November 2013

A composite photo of Lexi Branson and the dog that mauled her to death
Lexi Branson and Mulan, the dog that killed her




Police are looking into the history of the rescue dog that killed Lexi Branson. Detective Superintendent David Sandall updated Sky on the investigation.

Video: Police Looking Into Dog's History

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Four-year-old Lexi Branson was mauled to death by her pet bulldog, police have said, and the animal died after being stabbed to death by her mother.

Lexi died on Tuesday after the attack in her lounge in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire.

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.

Police handout of bulldog that mauled to death Lexi Branson
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.

Lexi Branson
Lexi was rushed to hospital but doctors could not save her

The girl's family have described her as a "shining star in the sky" who will "never be forgotten".

A statement from Lexi's mother Jodie Hudson, and grandmother Kerry Hudson, said: "There's been a tragedy in the family. Lexi was a bubbly, bright little girl.

"She fought for her life from the moment she was born as she was born three months prematurely, she's been taken from us so tragically.

"She will be sadly missed, she will be our shining star in the sky and she will never be forgotten."

Police were called to Lexi's home in a quiet cul-de-sac in Mountsorrel, a village between Leicester and Loughborough, just after noon on Tuesday.

She was taken from the flat to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham where doctors were unable to save her.

Detective Superintendent David Sandall told Sky News that the girl was unwell and had stayed home from school on the day of the attack.

Lexi's death is not being treated as a criminal investigation.

Neighbours have described the four-year-old as a friendly girl who played outside her home and was often seen with quite a large dog.

She lived in a flat with her mother and they had been there for about a year, neighbours added.

Arthur Nash, who lives in Rowena Court, said: "Everybody is in shock at the moment with Lexi dying.

"When I saw an ambulance pull up I thought it was an old lady on the court who had had a heart attack, and then the neighbour came up and said she had been killed by the dog. We're in shock."

Dog attack at Rowena Court, Mountsorrel, Leicestershire
The attack happened at Rowena Court, Mountsorrel, Leicestershire

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "I always say hello when I pass, and the little girl used to play outside - she used to say hello when she was playing. It is just such a shock, such a sad shock."

Glennis Goddard, who has lived in the road for 27 years, said: "She was very happy, everything was fun - as it is when you're a four-year-old.

"You've only got to look at her and she'd got a big smile on her face."

David Williams, headteacher of Christchurch and St Peter's Church of England Primary School in Mountsorrel, where Lexi had recently started, also paid tribute to the youngster.

He said: "The whole of our school community has been devastated and saddened by the news of Lexi's death.

Animal behaviour consultant Jennifer Dobson said the history and temperament of rescue dogs can sometimes be unknown.

She told Sky News: "Sometimes dogs are rescued and picked up as a stray - there's no history - and a kennel environment is not always the same as it behaves in the home."

Seventeen people have now been killed by dogs in the UK since 2005.

The four people to die in the last 12 months include eight-day-old Harry Harper - attacked by a Jack Russell, and Clifford Clarke, 79, believed to have been attacked by a bull mastiff cross breed.

Despite many attacks being carried out by legal dogs, a spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said there were no plans to change the list of banned breeds.

Panda wrote: ... It really is an ugly dog , I can't imagine anyone wanting it as a Pet.

What you call ugly may be beautiful to other people. Some people deliberately choose those pets that you call "ugly" because they are so often overlooked in rescue homes.

saloongirl wrote:

Panda wrote: ... It really is an ugly dog , I can't imagine anyone wanting it as a Pet.

What you call ugly may be beautiful to other people. Some people deliberately choose those pets that you call "ugly" because they are so often overlooked in rescue homes.

 

Claudia79 wrote:

saloongirl wrote:

Panda wrote: ... It really is an ugly dog , I can't imagine anyone wanting it as a Pet.

What you call ugly may be beautiful to other people. Some people deliberately choose those pets that you call "ugly" because they are so often overlooked in rescue homes.

 

O.K. saloon girl, chacun a son gou as the French say , don't know if I spelled it right  This is what's disturbing, the fact that the dog was apparently a stray .......were the Parents told before they took the dog?

Whenever you get a rescue dog the dog is tested with other dogs and humans.


They also match the dog to the owner I.e....certain dogs can't live with small children or other dogs or cats.


So I'm wondering, as it looked quite a powerful dog, did the new owners tell the Center that they have small children .


Just wondering that's all.

kitti wrote:Whenever you get a rescue dog the dog is tested with other dogs and humans.


They also match the dog to the owner I.e....certain dogs can't live with small children or other dogs or cats.


So I'm wondering, as it looked quite a powerful dog, did the new owners tell the Center that they have small children .


Just wondering that's all.

Kitti, apparently the dog was a stray, he was always in the Park and eventually taken to the rescue centre . Maybe his oowners did'nt want him anymore.

kitti wrote:Whenever you get a rescue dog the dog is tested with other dogs and humans.


They also match the dog to the owner I.e....certain dogs can't live with small children or other dogs or cats.


So I'm wondering, as it looked quite a powerful dog, did the new owners tell the Center that they have small children .


Just wondering that's all.

You're right Kitti, I have a couple of friends who run rescue homes and people do sometimes lie about their circumstances because they feel that the rescue is being too strict on who they rehome to. (Not saying it happened in this case as obviously I don't know). They can't grasp that these checks are there for a reason. It breaks my heart thinking about what abuse humans inflict on animals, and so often the animal pays the ultimate sacrifice with its life if, through no fault of its own, it turns one day. Ultimately in cases such as these, somewhere down the line a human is usually responsible for the outcome. I would also like to add, whilst I'm in rant mode, that for all those people saying all dogs should be muzzled around children under a certain age, what about teaching your children not to run up and fling their arms around strange dogs, as so often happens to me when I'm out walking mine. Even tho my dogs are friendly I don't want children running up and frightening them, because if one of them snapped in fear you can bet your bottom dollar that the parent would come down on me like a ton of bricks and my dog wold be labelled a "devil dog" even though it was the child's fault.

I certainly agree with you there, saloongirl.

However, owners should train their dogs when they're off the leash in parks or open spaces not to charge headlong at strangers.

This is something that I find terrifying - though I accept that the dogs may be friendly - and it restricts the places to which I can go.

I'm scared of dogs ever since i got bitten by one when I was a kid and a big collie used to run behind us and put his Paws on our shoulders when we
were playing in the street.

Cat's are independent, bury their mess , don't need to go walkies , clean themselves and are affectionate.