I was savaged by a pit bull-type dog and had my scalp ripped open to my skull – I thought I was about to die
A PENSIONER was savaged by a pitbull-type dog that ripped her scalp open to her skull in a horrific attack.
Jacqueline McGrew, 75, was mauled by her pal's pet on June 15, leaving her with "life-changing" injuries.
The pensioner had been in her next-door neighbour's garden in Blackburn, Lancashire, when the animal struck.
The dangerous dog, named Kia, harrowingly ripped Jacqueline's scalp down to her skull during the shocking incident.
She was forced to undergo gruelling surgery to reconstruct her nose and repair her head following brutal ambush.
Jacqueline's horrified son Andrew described his mother's gruesome injuries, saying he "didn’t realise how bad it would be".
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He told : "My mum put her head down to protect herself and has been bitten on the scalp.
"The scalp had gone. It was down to the skull. She has had her nose reconstructed and an operation on her head.
"Luckily, a paramedic across the road heard her screaming. She put her into the car and drove her straight to hospital.
"I then got a phone call at work to say my mum had been bitten. I thought it might have been on her leg or hand.
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"I didn’t realise how bad it would be when I walked in to see her. It was a right mess."
The dog's owner, Karen O'Brian, 57, says she has been left "traumatised" after one of her three beloved pooches let rip.
She explained: "We've been friends for 33 years and this has left me heartbroken.
"My neighbour has always been aware of the overprotective dog. In fact, she would always stand behind the gate and point at both dogs and call them the naughty dog and the nice dog.
"This is the reason why we built high fences around the gardens and put signs up to warn people.
"I am in no way justifying what the dog did and this horrific attack on my neighbour has left me and my partner traumatised by what she went through.
"I can not stress enough how heartbroken I am that my neighbour was attacked."
And Karen has been dealt a double blow after Lancashire Police seized another one of her dogs in wake of the incident.
The scalp had gone. It was down to the skull. She has had her nose reconstructed and an operation on her head.
Andrew McGrew
The force informed her Kia would be taken away, before returning to take two-year-old pup Nala - despite the mum insisting she was "innocent".
The devastated dog owner continued: "Within seconds they said they were taking Nala, so my daughter was hysterical, crying.
"They just took her. She's waggling her tail thinking she's going for a walk and she's banged up in a van, we haven't seen her since."
She insists the puppy was simply in the "wrong place at the wrong time" and has launched a campaign to get her back.
Karen added: "I can understand everyone's hate towards my family and myself, which is expected.
"But the police didn't just seize the dog that attacked my neighbour, they seized our beloved two-year-old puppy Nala just because she was in the garden at the time."
Karen claims she has had "no communication" from the force regarding Nala's wellbeing, despite calling "everyday".
She added: "They said if following tests she comes back as a Pitbull, she will be put down, but they shouldn't have said that to us."
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Pitbulls are one of the banned breeds under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, making it illegal to own sell or breed any of these dogs.
A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: "The dogs involved have been seized and an investigation into the circumstances around the attack is continuing."
