'It was terrifying' - Mum feared son, 5, would die in dog attack in South Yorkshire Park
A mum has told how she feared her five-year-old son was going to be killed as he was mauled by a dog in a South Yorkshire park.
Joanne Goffey, aged 28, was walking her son, Roman, home from school when the horrific attack happened.
The mum-of-three, from Doncaster, said the dog - which is believed to be a bull breed - dragged her son to the ground injuring his eye, ears and cheeks and leaving him needing surgery.
Joanne said the dog was off its lead and wasn't wearing a muzzle when it latched onto Roman on Thursday, November 6.
Joanne has told how Roman is now recovering at home but has called on dog owners to be more responsible by keeping dogs on leads in open areas.
She said: “It all happened so fast - I thought for sure this dog was about to kill my child.
"It was the most terrifying thing we've ever experienced.
"Now the adrenaline is wearing off, I sometimes think I could be planning his funeral right now which is just horrific.
“This attack was 1,000 per cent entirely preventable. Carelessness nearly cost our son’s life.”
South Yorkshire Police have since arrested a 29-year-old man on suspicion of owning a dog dangerously out of control.
They also said the dog was seized and remains in police kennels whilst the man has been released on police bail while enquiries continue.
The mum has told how the dog aggressively ran at Roman as he was walking a few paces ahead of her.
She was pushing her eight-month-old son, Marshall, in a pram at the time.
She said she could see the dog and it's owner in the distance but it "changed its stance" when it saw Roman before growling and attacking him.
The dog knocked Roman to the ground with its mouth but luckily Joanne was quickly able to pull him by the legs from underneath the dog and save him.
Following the attack the mum called for an ambulance and her son was taken to hospital and treated for his injuries.
Joanne said: “The dog latched onto his face.
"I couldn't see his face when I pulled him from under the dog so I was scared it might have been ripped off.
"When I managed to drag him out and scooped him into my arms the left side of his head was covered in blood.
"There were lots of puncture wounds from the teeth.
"He was in shock before he started screaming, 'I'm going to die, I'm going to die'.
"A five-year-old should never have to fear for his life like that.
"Roman was taken to the hospital and thankfully by some absolute miracle, the majority of his wounds were superficial.
"It's his eye we are most worried about at the moment. He's had surgery on his ear and to close some of the wounds on his face
“There were so many police at the scene, they were amazing.
"Roman was shown so much kindness from the officers who accompanied us to the hospital.
"He was shell shocked for hours.
Joanne is now calling for people to be more vigilant when walking their dogs.
She said: “You never think it will be your child, life can change in the blink of an eye and we are so so grateful because this attack could have ended our child's life in an instant.
“My heart aches and I get a lump in my throat every time I look at him.
“He's healing well – we want to wrap him up in cotton wool our brave boy.
“I feel like we need to campaign for safety measures – at least we feel like we are doing something
“You never ever think just walking home from school an irresponsible dog owner would have his aggressive dog off the lead."
Inspector Steve Usher, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “This incident should never happen and could have be avoided by responsible ownership.
“If you are in an area with children who can act in excitable and unpredictable ways, there should be no reason a dog should be off its lead.
“Being a responsible owner is the difference between dogs causing fear and harm in our community.
“Please do your part and act. Do not think it won’t happen to you, or your dog would never do that. Any dog has the potential to cause injury.”