‘I look like a monster’: Florida girl, 5, ‘absolutely traumatized’ after dog attack, needs FIFTY stitches and staples on neck and face
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA: A "traumatized" Florida girl is healing from severe wounds sustained in a vicious dog attack, according to reports. Florian Becker, the father of the 5-year-old, claimed that on Friday, while his wife and daughter were out for a stroll in a Fort Lauderdale park, the owner of a dog welcomed children to pet it.
Speaking to WSAZ, the concerned father said, "My daughter went up and pet him, and all of a sudden, the dog turned and bit her in her face." The mauling left the child "absolutely traumatized," according to Becker, and needed 50 stitches and staples to the child's face, neck, and shoulders.
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'The dog attacked again'
When the dog attacked, Florian Becker's wife, who was there, attempted to wrangle the animal away from her young child. "My wife was shocked and screamed, tried to pull the dog back by its collar, and the collar broke," Becker stated. "The dog attacked again, this time more viciously, and she was grabbing the dog and fighting it back, holding on to it, screaming at the woman to take control of her dog."
'Lucky not to have suffered any eye damage'
Finally, the terrified mother was able to free her daughter, who was then quickly taken to the emergency room at a nearby hospital. Even though the young child had numerous injuries, Becker claimed that she was lucky not to have suffered any eye damage. She is finding it difficult to comprehend the assault, he said while talking to Local 10. She also has a hard journey to recovery. "She said… 'Why are you looking at me?' My wife said, 'Because you’re beautiful.' And she said, 'No, I look like a monster'," WSAZ reported. "So, these scars will be there for a long time," Becker stated.
'My wife had to wrestle the dog away'
The dog owner received criticism from the father for not intervening when things got out of hand. "The owner of the dog didn’t take control of the situation, unfortunately, and my wife had to basically jump in and wrestle the dog away while my little girl was bleeding on the ground," he said to the outlet. Despite leaving the area, the owner of the animal has reportedly been identified. The unknown dog's breed has been given to animal control, but as of Tuesday, February 14, it was unknown whether or not any charges will be filed.