A FIVE-year-old girl has been left scarred for life after she was bitten on her face by a neighbour's dog as she played in a garden.
Paige Barenskie underwent surgery yesterday to repair damage to her nose and cheek after the Staffordshire bull terrier-cross attacked her in 38th Avenue, north Hull.
Her mum, Gemma Barenskie, says the dog, named Buster, had crawled through a gap in a fence and into another neighbour's garden, where it lunged at Paige.
She had been playing with her three-year-old brother, Hayden, and three other children.
Speaking from her daughter's bedside at Hull Royal Infirmary, Mrs Barenskie said: "Paige will be scarred for life – she is only five years old."
Mrs Barenskie, who was with a group of family and friends, witnessed part of the attack, which happened at about 4.30pm on Wednesday.
She said: "Buster was on a chain in his own garden two doors way, but it looked to me to be too long and he managed to enter my neighbour's garden.
"Paige turned round to see the dog. It then jumped up at her. I heard him growling.
"She ran away crying – I thought the dog had scared her with its growl.
"But then I saw her face pouring with blood.
"Paige had a big cut on her left cheek and a bite mark on her nose. She also lost a tooth and has a black eye."
Neighbours helped stem the bleeding while an ambulance was called.
"I was a quivering mess," said Mrs Barenskie. "Paige was in shock. She didn't know what was happening to her."
"She doesn't want to go home. She is that scared."
It is likely Paige – who was due to be discharged last night – will undergo plastic surgery at a later date.
Full-time mother Mrs Barenskie, 29, says the dog's owner, Mark "Harry" Falkingham, 34, immediately apologised.
She said: "Harry dragged Buster indoors and then came round to see how my daughter was and to apologise.
"If I had known Buster was capable of getting into my neighbour's garden, I wouldn't have let Paige play there."
Mr Falkingham, who has owned three-year-old Buster for 18 months, said he planned to have the dog put down.
He said: "Buster has never done anything like this before – he is a big teddy bear. I am disgusted with him."
Paige's father, Tim Barenskie, a weapons engineer in the Royal Navy, drove from his base in Portsmouth to Hull once he was informed of the attack.
He said: "Paige is in good spirits now. It's a relief the dog is being put down."
A Humberside Police spokesman said officers are not intending to take any action against the owner.
