Schoolgirl, 8, ‘mauled like rag doll’ by Anatolian Shepherd leaving her with broken bones & ‘flesh ripped from her arm’

An eight-year-old schoolgirl suffered horrific injuries after being “mauled like a rag doll” by an Anatolian shepherd.

The large young animal pulled Annabell Rowdon to the ground in the sudden attack in Horseheath, Cambridgeshire.

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The dog – thought to be an Anatolian sheepdog – ripped flesh from her left forearm before it was ripped off by a dog trainer and her 63-year-old grandfather, Steven Rowdon.

She was taken to Addenbrookes Hospital for five hours of surgery the next day.

X-rays showed both bones in Annabell’s forearm were broken and she sustained nine deep lacerations.

Annabell is now recovering at home but may need another operation.

She was devastated by the attack and her family is furious that the dog got out of control.

Annabell’s mother Sonia Rowdon, 34, has now vowed to take legal action against the Anatolian Shepherd Dog owners once they are identified.

Speaking of the horror attack, Sonia said: “If it had grabbed her face or God forbid it had grabbed her stomach and internal organs, it could have been a very different situation.”

“We are real dog owners. We are not naive, we know they can be powerful animals so we make sure we have the support we need to control our animals dogs.”

Annabell had spent the weekend with her grandfather Steven, accompanying him to a reactive dog training course at a playground in Horseheath.

There, the beast tried out his German shepherd for a bit before the owners parted their dogs.

Minutes later, the other dog reportedly broke away from its owner and pounced on a helpless Annabell, who was standing nearby.

Steven claims, “We were instructed to keep the dogs on a leash at all times and to keep them under close control.”

“When it attacked, it passed my dog, me, another dog and its owner and ran straight at my granddaughter.

“It only lasted a second or two, but it shook her like a rag doll.”

Cambridgeshire Police are currently investigating the incident, which took place at 10am on June 11 at a pitch in the village south of Cambridge.

Steven added, “You hear of a child being killed by a dog, but you very rarely hear of the other children who are maimed and maimed by these things.”

“People need to be made aware.”

A Cambridgeshire Police spokesman said: “We were called at around 10.20am on Sunday 11 June to report a girl had been bitten by a dog on Linton Road, Horseheath.”

“The eight-year-old girl was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

“A criminal offense has been charged for allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.”

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