Boy, 9 years old, attacked by a police dog at a police station’s house on Christmas Day

A SCHOOLBOY had to have stitches on his leg after being attacked by a police apprentice dog at a police officer’s home on Christmas Day.

Sergeant Fleur Tedshill, an experienced dog handler for the West Midlands Police, cared for her training dog at her home in Brierley Hill, Birmingham.

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The nine-year-old was taken to Russell’s Hall Hospital after being bitten by a dog – the dog has since been removed from the home.

A black dog named Penny is being trained by the police after her working police dog Snap retired.

Sergeant Major Tedshill and her family were celebrating Christmas when the attack happened.

Penny has now been released from her home and placed in a cot by West Midlands Police, and will be reevaluated.

A neighbor spotted emergency services rushing to the scene on Christmas Day, around lunchtime.

They told The Sun: “We were expecting some families around and when we opened the front door we could see ambulances and police cars.

“I didn’t focus too much on what was going on because I was trying to cook, but I saw a little boy being taken out by paramedics.

“Honestly, I think he got hurt in his Christmas present or something like that.

“It wasn’t until later when someone told me they had seen a dog being led away by the police that I knew it had been bitten. It could have been a lot worse.”

Another neighbor added that she saw a “small”, like a “puppy” dog that had been taken away from home and had not seen it since.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “We are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident where a child was bitten by the family’s apprentice police dog on Christmas Day 2021.

“The apprentice police dog was living with an experienced dog handler when the incident happened.

“The nine-year-old was taken to the hospital where they had stitches on his leg.

“Thankfully there weren’t any lasting physical injuries.

“The dog is currently in a force kennel where it will be subjected to various training evaluations to determine if it is fit to serve as a police officer in the future.

“We are still investigating this incident and it has been referred to our professional standards department, as is standard practice in incidents like this.”

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman added: “We were called to reports of a medical emergency at a property on Brompton Drive at 11:24am on Christmas Day.

“An ambulance and a paramedic arrived at the scene. On arrival, we discovered one patient, a young boy, who had been treated for a non-serious injury before being taken to Russell’s Hall Hospital for further evaluation. “

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