I knew that we were lucky to be taking Rose to the hospital and not the morque

Five-year-old is left with horrific injuries to her mouth, eye and ear | Her friend’s pet won’t be put down despite jumping on and savaging her

- JOHN-PAUL CLARK

THE mum of a schoolgirl left scarred for life in a dangerous dog attack has hit out after the animal was allowed to live.

Rose Dempster was mauled by the pitbull type while she was on a playdate at a friend's house on September 11.

The out-of-control animal ripped into the five-year-old's face, leaving her with injuries to her mouth, eye and ear, as she played on a swing in the garden of the family's home in Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow.

Her mum Gillian, 40, recalled the sickening moment her daughter returned home with blood pouring from her wounds.

She said: "Rose appeared at the door with her wee pal's mum and I almost collapsed at the sight of her. She was covered in blood.

"I screamed but I must have been in shock because I immediately went into survival mode and took Rose inside and phoned an ambulance.

"The woman told me the dog had jumped on her but she didn't say anything about it biting her or anything.

"But Rose told me the dog escaped from the house and charged towards her. Then it pinned her down and clamped its jaws on her head.

"She was shaking and just kept repeating that the dog had bitten her. I started to wipe the blood off her face but I saw that her ear was hanging by a thread.

"She had cuts all over her face and scratches over her body.

"I knew then that we were lucky we were taking her to the hospital and not the morgue. This dog could have killed her." Rose was rushed to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.