THE man in charge of a dog that savagely attacked a toddler, leaving her with serious facial injuries, has been spared jail.

Twenty-two-month-old Kira Neal needed more than 50 stitches after Staffordshire Bull Terrier Cracker attacked her at the Famous Old Pines Pub in Winton on August 4 last year.

Stephen Paul Hodges, 48, of Victoria Park Road, Winton, who was looking after the dog at the time, was handed a £750 fine, a £15 victim surcharge and £500 costs.

Little Kira has since made a good recovery but still faces a further operation on her face, Dorchester Crown Court heard.

The court heard Hodges was celebrating his birthday at around 4.15pm when Kira spotted the dog and wanted to pat him.

Hodges allowed her to pat the dog but when she approached a second time, the dog snarled and grabbed her round the front of the face, pulling her under the table and shaking her in its mouth.

Shortly before the child patted the dog the second time, Hodges had warned Kira's supervising adult Robert Ring that the dog was "not good with children", said prosecutor Stephen Dent.

Kira was in hospital for six days and endured a four-hour operation.

Hodges told police the incident had happened "out of the blue" but admitted being aware that Cracker was involved in a minor incident with a child in March 2006.

The dog has since been destroyed.

Hodges, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dog which caused injury while dangerously out of control in a public place.

Defence Malcolm Gibney said that Hodges offered his "sincere apologies" to Kira's family.

The dog, owned by Hodges' ex-partner Heather Campbell, landlady of the Three Choughs pub in Blandford, had "never shown any sign of aggression" before.

The dog had been dropped at the pub shortly before the incident by a member of the family as a "surprise" for Hodges, who had not seen it for 12 months, said Mr Gibney.

"It was a dog he had taken for regular walks and trained to do little tricks. The dog was pleased to see him and was jumping around.

"It was the dog performing tricks that prompted the girl to come across and ask if she could stroke the dog.

"The dog was used to members of the public and young children around him," he added.

Judge Roger Jarvis told Hodges: "It was a shocking and frightening incident for the girl, those with her and those who witnessed it.

"This dog was socialised in a pub environment but you knew it could be less than trustworthy around children."

7:00am Saturday 17th May 2008

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