Boy, one, taken to hospital after dog ‘lunges at pushchair and bites his face’

A one-year-old boy was taken to hospital with facial injuries after a dog bit his face while he sat in a pushchair, police have said.

The dog, believed to be a German Shepherd, is alleged to have lunged towards the boy on Shirley Precinct, a local shopping centre, in Southampton, at around 3:20pm on 21 August.

The one-year-old suffered two small puncture wounds and grazing to his face, Hampshire and Isle of White Constabulary said.

Police have now shared an image of a woman they want to speak with in connection with the incident.

The woman is described by police as white, 5ft 7ins tall, and of large build

The dog, wearing a mesh-style muzzle, is believed to be a German Shepherd.

“Since this was reported to us, officers have been carrying out enquiries and are working to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the incident,” police said.

“We are hoping to speak with a woman (pictured) who may have information which could help with our enquiries.”

Last month, a man appeared in court accused of manslaughter after his German Shepherd fatally bit a man on a footpath in Wakefield following an argument about “right of way”.

Emergency services were called to reports of an altercation on the old train line footpath off Blacker Lane in the Calder Grove area on Saturday 15 August.

James Judge, 55, was bitten by a dog and taken to hospital in a critical condition but died shortly after 7pm. His family is being supported by specially trained officers.

Lee Ellis, 55, has been charged with manslaughter and being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control, causing injury resulting in death.