A young girl in Melbourne – about to start her first day of school has been attacked by a pitbull leaving her with permanent scars.
Warning this post contains graphic images.
Five-year old Alexis Douglas starts school on Friday.
It should be one of the most exciting days of her life so far, filled with memories for not just Alexis but her family.
But Alexis’s first day of school will be tinged with sadness as a horrific dog attack has left her in agony and covered in bandages.
On Friday night the little girl was playing at her older sister’s friend’s house in the Melbourne suburb of Callum Downs when a pet pitbull cross turned on her viciously attacking her face.
The dog went at the little girl twice leaving her needing urgent plastic surgery.
He mother Monique Douglas told 3AW radio “The plastic surgeons took her to theatre and they’ve done a great job by the looks of it under the bandages, but her whole face is bandaged on the left side and she will need further treatment”
Her 16-year old sister who witnessed the attack was left traumatized.
What made matters worse was that when Alexis’s mother, Monique tried to speak to the local council regarding the attack no one would return her calls.
She says she called Frankston City Council, the Dangerous Dogs hotline and her local police several times after the incident, but failed to receive a response.
In desperation she called Neil Mitchell at 3AW.
It was only after this publicity that the council called her back and confirmed that the dog had been euthanized.
“I was crying out for police help, for council help, but no-one helped me until I called Neil Mitchell,” she told
“Now my phone hasn’t stopped ringing.”
My daughter could have been dead and did it take her to be dead for them to come?” Monique told Nine News.
Frankston City Council chief executive Dennis Hovenden said staff “were still trying to ascertain the procedure” but that “Council strongly advocates responsible dog ownership. There is little tolerance where dogs are not responsibly managed by their owners.”
The owner of the dog, a pitbull Rhodesian ridgeback cross told Nine News that he had children and the dog had never attacked before.
“They were playing together for an hour, hour and a half, and then I don’t know what happened, the dog, couldn’t have expected it, just attacked her.” Ed Powell said.
“I’m just shattered by the whole thing.”
In Victoria pitbulls are a restricted breed and owners must undergo strict requirements to own them. However many owners incorrectly and misleadingly register the animals with local councils under other breed descriptions including Australian terriers and Staffordshire terriers.
According to official figures in 2013 there were 1314 dog attacks reported to councils across Australia.
- 155 were by Staffordshire Bull terrier
- German shepherd: 89
- American staffordshire terrier: 88
- Australian cattle dog: 66
- Breed not specified: 63
- Rottweiler: 43
- Jack Russell: 34
- Siberian husky: 32An American pitiful
Do you think our dog laws are sufficient? Should more be done to contain these animals?
Top Comments
Lock jaw is a myth, no dog can lock their jaws. The reason a dog doesn't let go is because it doesn't want to. Maybe the owners of pets should take responsibility gor their animals and make sure they can't escape but you can't blame a breed of animal for an owners irresponsible behaviour. Have you owned a pitbull? Discrimination against a breed is wrong, just like racism is wrong.
This is a whole different dog. Pit bulls are a cheap, plentiful, overbred and inbred fighting dog, but people lie and say they are "nanny dogs" and "great with kids". A pit bull is nothing like a Neopolitan Mastiff. Stop blaming the victim and her parents! NO ONE Should be allowed to OWN a dog this dangerous. Even a responsible owner, should not have just LUCK between life and death. Animals can get sick and change. A sweet dog can turn violent due to illness. Suddenly inclination means nothing and the dog's capabilities determine the fate of a fragile victim. These dogs (molassers) are decendants of war dogs and bloodsport dogs. THIS particular breed has lunged at complete strangers, pulled babies from strollers (look up 2 year old Amaya Hess- You won't BELEIVE what a pit bull did to her)...a pit bull also ran to and grabbed a 14month old Charlotte Blevins by the head, from a wagon she was riding with a baby friend, pulled by her mom when a RANDOM pit bull jumped a fence and hunted her down, ripping off the whole top of her head, scalping her. Tyler Jett 7, was riding his bike home from school, when pits jumped a fence, pulled him from his bike and killed him. This particular breed is prone to sudden, unprovoked, sustained attacks motivated by prey drive. Other molosser dogs you happen to know, may seem harmless, and most likely will stay that way...but this cheap, easy overbred and inbred dog type has claimed 191 child victims in USA in the past generation, since their popularity began. Pit bull breeders, fighters and "rescuers" get money to keep them breeding. Parents and victims are begging for reform, and our dogs are killed daily by them. They have an uncontrollable prey drive, and unbelievable GRIP with jaws that snap bones like a toothpick, remove limbs regularly. This is a wholly different dog. Thanks to dogfighting.