Two people have been rushed to hospital after being attacked by their family dog.
The attack took place last night at a house in Woodchurch, Wirral, just before midnight when three children were playing hide and seek with their pet dog.
The dog reportedly became aggressive, viciously attacking a man in the house before Merseyside Police were called.
Officers arrived a short time later to find the pet attacking a woman, who had reportedly tried to help the first casualty following the dog’s crazed rage.
Police were able to keep three children in the Merseyside home out of harm’s way before containing the dangerous canine and removing it from the property.
The two victims of the attack were rushed to hospital where they are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Neighbours at the scene on Sunflower Close recalled hearing ‘screams’ around the time of the attack yesterday evening.
‘I heard a scream. My other half thought it was a fox,’ said one anonymous resident.
‘The I heard another scream from a dog, so I assumed it was some sort of dog attack. Then loads of police cars arrived. Everyone was looking out of their windows.’
The attack occurred just before midnight at a house in Sunflower Close, Wirral
Neighbours recalled hearing ‘screams’ from the house before Merseyside Police arrived at the scene
A woman living in the cul-de-sac added: ‘I saw all the police presence, it was a big scene in the early hours.
‘I saw the dog and the couple being taken away – I heard the dog mauled someone.’
Another neighbour told the Liverpool Echo that the dog was taken away by police at ‘around 1am.’
After being handed over by the family, the dog is now set to be humanely destroyed.
Chief Inspector Dave Atkinson and Detective Chief Inspector Andy McCourt of Merseyside Police said: ‘It is believed that the children were playing hide and seek in the house when the dog started to growl at them, the male occupant tried to remove the dog, which then attacked him.
‘When the female owner tried to stop the dog, she too was attacked.
‘The dog in this property was dangerously out of control, despite this our officers went in and bravely faced the situation before them, stopping the continuing attack by the dog and ensuring the children were safe, before managing to contain the dog and remove it from the property.
‘They should be commended for their actions which prevented further serious injuries and meant that the ambulance service could get into the address to provide medical support to the injured parties before taking them to hospital.’
