Dog on 'death row' after mauling young child in Edinburgh home

A massive dog which attacked a young child at an Edinburgh home is facing being destroyed.

The two-year-old dog - named Boss - launched the attack after the child had attempted to take food from its mouth at the home in the Craigour area of the city.

The child was rushed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where medics used surgical suture strips and a dressing to treat the puncture wounds.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told the animal, which weighs 60kg, has been seized by police after it was deemed to aggressive for an animal charity to take it in.

Diana D’Acunto - her huge dog attacked a child in Edinburgh

Owner Diana D’Acunto appeared at the city court and pleaded guilty to being the owner of the dog while it was out of control, unmuzzled and untethered on December 19 last year.

Prosecutor Christine Brownlie said the child was at D’Acunto’s home at around 2.30pm when she saw the dog eating something in the kitchen that “it wasn’t supposed to be eating”.

The child attempted to take the item from the dog but the animal “gripped” the girl’s arm and “proceeded to bite her”.

The child ran from the property to a neighbour's home before she was taken to the accident and emergency department at the ERI.

Ms Brownlie said the Dogs Trust charity refused to accept the dog “due its aggression” and the neighbour called in the police to deal with the matter.

The dog was seized and placed in the care of Police Scotland where it continues to live in kennels until its fate is decided.

The court was told 37-year-old D’Acunto was warned on several occasions that she should have the “large and powerful” dog professionally trained and it needed discipline.

The mastiff was bought from a breeder in England two years ago and was used as a guard dog.

Sheriff Chris Dickson deferred sentence to next month for reports and to obtain further information on the animal and to consider whether a destruction order is necessary.

D’Acunto pleaded guilty to owning a dog that was out of control while unmuzzled and untethered and bit e a child on the body and clamp her arm in its mouth to her injury at an address at Craigour Grove, Edinburgh, on December 19 last year.