Girl Aged Four Saved by Coat Whilst Being Attacked by Police Dog in Park

Four year old Erika Carter De Freitas Galiano was saved by her coat after being savaged in the park by a german shepherd police dog. Erikas’s mother Kerry Carter 24 was horrified at what could have happend to her daughter if she had not been wearing her thick padded coat.

The four year old was running through the park in Essex on a walk home from a family meal with her mother. Kerry Carter had noticed the man with the dog but thought it as no threat. As soon as she turned her head the dog attacked her daughter leaving a peircing mark in her skin from the animal’s teeth and a half inch long bruise on the poor girls arm.

David Mills, 55, who witnessed the attack, said: ‘The dog flew straight towards the little girl, bit her arm and dragged her to the ground. She was screaming.’

Erika was left curled up on the ground screaming whilst the man who was indeed an off duty police officer shouted at the dog and ran over to hug her.

But why was a police dog let off a lead in a childrens playground? dangerous enough to savage a poor 4 year old? and should any action be taken?

A spokesman for the force said the German Shepherd would remain off duty during the inquiry.‘It is normal practice for handlers to exercise their dogs off the lead while off duty.’

if this was any other dog it would have been put down. Should vicious dogs be exercised off leads in public areas?

its is rather worrying to think that a dog that has been trained to attack a criminal could attack a four year old girl in a public area where many other children could be. More action should be done to prevent this from happening again as poor Erika has been so shocked form this experience that she can no longer go near the family puppy in there home.

  Please leave comments on what YOU think about the event, and what action should actually have been taken.