Pensioner who was attacked by a Pitbull-type dog in the street feared she would die

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Jacqueline McGrew, 75, had her scalp torn down to her skull and suffered a broken jaw and dislocated nose when she was vandalized in the street while coming out of her home to visit a neighbour

A pensioner who was mauled by a “Pitbull-esque” dog while stopping by to see a neighbor feared she was dying.

Jacqueline McGrew, 75, had her scalp torn down to her skull and suffered a broken jaw and a dislocated nose.

She said: “I thought I was done. i thought i had it It was a bloodbath. I was covered in blood. I was a real mess.

“I could feel the dog biting my head, right down to my skull. Then it hit my nose. I screamed in pain. I must have been trying to get the dog off me because it also bit my arm.”

Jacqueline had turned up next door to pay for some kitty litter her neighbor David Gorton had bought for her when she was mauled by his son Sonny’s dog, which police suspect is a “pit bull breed”. .

She said: “I didn’t know the dog was outside. Otherwise I would not have gone into the garden. I was about to close the gate when it came at me.

“David must have heard me scream because he stormed out and jumped on it and pinned it to the ground.”

Jacqueline, from Blackburn, Lancs, was taken to hospital by a paramedic who lived nearby. The dog that attacked her, named Kia, was one of two animals confiscated by police.

“Beware of dogs” read a warning sign on the owner’s gate.

But Jacqueline, who has been in Royal Blackburn hospital for seven days since the attack, said: “It’s fine to have warning signs but the dog needs to be chained.

“I’m an animal lover, but with this dog, I’d say skip it.

“I can’t possibly imagine that dog roaming around. The doctors told me it would take a year for the injuries in my head to heal.”

The Mirror is campaigning for changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act after a string of serious injuries and deaths.

Jacqueline, who was awarded the British Empire Medal for her charitable work in 2012, said: “I definitely support the campaign. This can not go on like this. It could have been a child.”

As the police announced yesterday, the investigation is ongoing

The Mirror has called for these changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act.

1. Expand the list of prohibited breeds to make other dangerous species illegal to own, breed or sell.
2. Bring in a new law requiring owners to register certain breeds that could be dangerous. Similar laws exist in France and Austria.
3. Anyone wishing to own a potentially dangerous breed should attend a training class and have the dog’s behavior evaluated.