Dog attack girl has 100 stitches

Ellie Fitzgerald has had two operations since the attack

A 10-year-old girl has described the attack by a dog which left her needing more than 100 stitches in her legs.

Ellie Fitzgerald was repeatedly bitten by the dog - believed to be an English bull terrier - before it locked its jaws onto one of her legs.

The attack in Cardiff ended when the dog's owner arrived, prised the dog's jaws apart and sat on it. The animal was later destroyed by a vet.

A man, 21, has been questioned about a failure to control his dog.

The man was arrested about the attack on 27 December.

He was later released on unconditional bail and a file has been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The dog was later destroyed by a vet after a request from South Wales Police.

It was on my leg and then my friend was kicking it and hitting it Ellie Fitzgerald

Ellie, a Rumney Junior School pupil, was attacked as she rode her new bike, which was a Christmas present.

She described what happened: "I was riding round the block with my friend and he went for our bike, so Leanne screamed and ran in, and then I screamed and it went after me.

"I was standing on the chair in the front garden, then it pulled my legs down and then it was on my leg and then my friend was kicking it and hitting it, and her dad was hitting it with a bike frame to try and get it off me."

'Nightmares'

Ellie was taken to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, for treatment and was later transferred to Morriston Hospital in Swansea.

She is now recovering at home after spending three nights at hospital and undergoing two operations.

Her mother Helena said her daughter had been attacked in three different places on her legs, causing "terrible" damage.

"She is just lucky the owner was around to prise the dog's jaws open because I don't think he was going to stop - I think she would have been finished if he hadn't been around.

"A neighbour hit the dog with a bike frame but he carried on.

"She didn't actually cry and the paramedics said that was because she was in such a state of shock."

Mrs Fitzgerald said Ellie had suffered nightmares ever since she was attacked.

"You read about these things, but you don't expect it to happen to your own. I'm just totally shocked still," she said.