Neighbors say the girl who was attacked and airlifted by an XL bully was visiting her great-grandmother at the time.
The 8-month-old, named Arabella Williams by relatives, was taken to meet her great-grandmother, Pamela Williams, Wednesday afternoon.
The dog, called Hunter, is said to be owned by the baby’s 18-year-old uncle and Mrs Williams’ grandson, and is currently living with her in a terraced house in Hawkinge, Kent.
Arabella was airlifted to King’s College Hospital in south London. The dog was euthanized on the property, but the property remained cordoned off Thursday with police standing guard outside.
A neighbor said: “Arabella was taken by her mother to her great-grandmother’s house. Her mother lives in Folkestone with her partner but is visiting her grandmother. [Wednesday] afternoon.
“The girl’s uncle who has a dog with her grandmother is apparently his service dog.
“For reasons no one knows, the dog suddenly attacked Arabella and she was airlifted to a London hospital. Last we heard, she was improving, but her condition remained serious. We hope she gets through it.”
The attack occurred one year after Hunter’s owner was refused surrender of the dog by police. I wanted to destroy the XL Bully.
Neighbors say the girl (pictured) who was attacked by an XL bully and was airlifted away was visiting her great-grandmother at the time.
An 8-month-old baby girl is in critical condition after being attacked by an XL Bully-type dog on property (pictured)
police arrested hunter The dog was brought to Hawkinge in November 2023 after its owner was reported to have been bitten on the finger and sustained minor injuries.
A Kent Police spokesperson said: “The owner refused to voluntarily surrender the dog to police for destruction.”
“While there was no legal basis for officers to detain the dog in these circumstances, the owner was asked to accept the terms of the police order, which included keeping the dog safe and supervised.”
After the attack, the baby’s great-aunt Stephanie Coombs, 33, said the baby was in a stable condition in intensive care but was “up and down”.
Coombs added that the baby’s mother grabbed the dog in an attempt to pull it away from the baby, breaking her finger in the process.
She said Hunter was euthanized after relatives told her what had happened.
The three-bedroom home where the attack occurred was taped off by police on Thursday as uniformed officers stood guard outside the property and a police van was also parked in the driveway.
“I don’t know what happened, but the dog suddenly went crazy,” Coombs said. ‘[Her] The mother caught the dog and took it off the baby.
The three-bedroom home where the attack occurred was taped off by police on Thursday as uniformed officers stood guard outside the property and a police van was also parked in the driveway.
The incident shocked Hawkinge’s neighborhood, with residents raising concerns about the safety of such dogs.
“As soon as the dog did that, it seemed to realize what he had done, and the boy told the dog to go upstairs.
“The dog Hunter and the baby became very close, which is so out of character for the dog.
It was very wet. We thought he was like Scooby Doo. They often rode together in a travel cot. He smelled the baby and walked away. ”
She added: “It’s completely shocking. I don’t expect this to happen to my family. The baby is the mother’s world. She stays awake with me at the hospital bedside.
“It was a close call. We just hope she’s OK. It’s a very frustrating situation.”
The incident shocked the neighborhood, with residents raising concerns about the safety of such dogs.
“I have seen the dog being walked in the local area,” a family friend said on condition of anonymity. He always wore a muzzle when he was outside.
“This dog didn’t seem particularly aggressive. I could tell it was a powerful animal, but it wasn’t always barking or growling at people.”
An 18-year-old man and a 76-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of managing an uncontrollable and dangerous dog. They remain in custody while investigations continue.
Authorities are asking anyone with information to come forward.
