East Sussex toddler left seriously injured after 'horrendous' attack by 'pocket bully' dog

Two-year-old Alfred Gunston suffered serious injuries and his jaw was left looking ‘like a box of cornflakes’.

His mum, Danielle, said he had to undergo surgery and have his jaw rebuilt using a metal plate.

Alfred was out with his mum and dad, three siblings, and family friends for trick or treating on Halloween night when the attack happened in Bexhill, at around 6.30pm.

Danielle said: “It was horrendous. We knocked on the door of a house that had pumpkins outside. The home owner answered the door and the dog ran out from behind, running straight through our other three children and our friend’s two children to get to Alfred.

“He was ploughed to the ground and the dog began biting Alfred’s face. All the children were crying and absolutely traumatised.”

She added her husband, Rob, and their friend, Nathan, tried to get the dog off Alfred, with one of them putting their hand in the dog’s mouth in an attempt to get it open.

They eventually were able to get the dog off the toddler.

Danielle added: “Nathan managed to keep hold of the dog, a pocket bully, while Rob got Alfred to safety and away from the property.”

She said her husband then drove their son to the hospital.

Danielle added: “Alfred suffered two very large lacerations, one piercing through to the base of his mouth and the other causing a very large hole in his right cheek, along with around 15 other smaller puncture wounds.

“On arriving at the hospital I also noticed that Alfred had several teeth missing in his mouth. We stayed at the Conquest Hospital that night and were transferred to East Grinstead the following morning.

“Alfred underwent surgery to clean and stitch his face up. When the maxillofacial team opened Alfred’s mouth to remove the broken teeth they discovered that his jaw was ‘like a box of cornflakes’ and this was rebuilt using a metal plate.

“Alfred will need further surgery in four to six months to remove this plate. He will have scarring to his face.”

She praised the police for their response, as well as the staff at the Conquest and East Grinstead hospitals.

Danielle added: “We want to raise awareness now that these things really can happen to anyone at any time. Alfred wasn’t dressed scary. He was just wearing his tiny little pumpkin pyjamas but has now been left terrified of Halloween.

“We want to fight for something called Alfred’s law to raise awareness of how you can potentially save someone’s life if they are being attacked by a dog and also we want every dog owner to legally display a sign on the front of their house to state that they have a dog living in the property.”

A Sussex Police spokesperson said: “Police received a report of a two-year-old boy being injured by a dog outside an address in Kinver Lane, Bexhill, on October 31. The boy received hospital treatment.

“Officers are investigating, and seized the dog under the Dangerous Dogs Act. The dog has subsequently been put to sleep.”

The spokesperson added that no arrests have been made.