The mum of a baby boy mauled in a horror dog attack ran screaming from the house when she found her son inside.
Neighbours said that Lucy Donaldson was 'hysterical' when she saw the sickening injuries her son Mikey Skelly had suffered at her sister's house in Hawick, Roxburghshire.
Mikey remains in a critical condition after the attack on Thursday afternoon.
It’s understood by the Daily Record that Lucy, 28, and her sister Robyn, 30, who lives at the address, had left Mikey in the care of Robyn’s partner, Chris Cooper.
A neighbour, who didn’t want to be named, said Cooper owns lurchers and terriers.
He said: “If those dogs were out in their garden, I wouldn’t go in there.
“The lurchers aren’t so bad but the terriers can be aggressive.
“I wouldn’t trust them or let kids in there. They are vicious little b*****ds.”
He added: “Chris takes them out in the woods. They’re popular in the area because they’re hunting-type dogs.”
The alarm was raised after 4.30pm on Thursday.
Another neighbour, Teresa Currie, said she believed Lucy had left the baby at Robyn’s house while the two of them went out together.
She added: “Chris was outside playing football with the older children, his own kids, Lucy’s kids and other children, all aged between about three and five.
“I think the baby was in the house on his own. I don’t know how long they were playing outside for.
“Then the car pulled up and Lucy and Robyn got out, just arriving back.
“The next thing, I saw Lucy running out of the house, hands up in the air, screaming.
“I can’t imagine what Lucy has walked in to see. Whatever she saw, she couldn’t go back in that house again.”
The boy’s grandad, John, arrived minutes later and emerged from the semi-detached house with his hands over his face.
Teresa said Lucy “was in hysterics” as she waited for an ambulance to arrive.
Mikey was taken to Borders General Hospital in Melrose, then flown to the trauma unit at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children, where his condition was last night said to be “critical”.
Mum-of-one Teresa, 37, said Mikey’s aunt Robyn took the dog by car to the vet to be put down.
She added: “The dog looked quiet under her arm. It’s only a small thing.
“Chris sat on the wall with his hood up and his hands on his head. I didn’t see him go in.”
It’s understood Robyn and Chris had moved into the house from elsewhere in Hawick in recent months.
Lucy lives a short distance from her sister and is believed to have two other children.
Teresa said: “Lucy is a great mum. She dotes on her kids and loves Mikey so much.
“We are all devastated. My heart is breaking for them. We’re praying for him to pull through.”
Forensics specialists arrived at the house yesterday afternoon and police officers kept guard throughout the day.
Hawick councillor Davie Paterson said: “It’s an absolute tragedy and it’s going to hit the town hard.
“From what I’m hearing, the child could be scarred for life.”
A police spokeswoman said inquiries were ongoing and no arrests had been made.
Read More
Top news stories from Mirror Online
-
Arctic vortex bringing snow
-
New speed limit signs not legal
-
Meghan car park row
-
Upskirting is now illegal
Source: Read Full Article