Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte Hawkins says she was shaken “deeply” after watching her friend’s daughter being attacked by a dog.
Hawkins was reportedly walking with her own child and the eight-year-old girl when the animal escaped from a nearby garden and knocked the child down and bit her.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Hawkins, 48, said she had reassured the child that the barking dogs would not be able to get out before the “shocking” incident.
“The experience shook me deeply,” she said.
We're a nation of dog lovers, but dog attacks are on the rise and 2022 saw record fatalities from such injuries… so what's going on? @CharlotteHawkns reports in Dangerous Dogs: What's The Truth? Thursday, on ITV1 at 8:30pm #ITVTonight pic.twitter.com/1Eb3Ghfu1x
— Tonight (@ITVTonight) August 9, 2023
“It’s a problem we must tackle. Seeing my friend’s daughter being attacked by a big dog was shocking and scary. It showed me how quickly something like that can happen.
“The two big dogs were barking aggressively. I was saying, ‘Don’t worry, they won’t be able to get out’. But one of the dogs did get out.”
Hawkins said she had felt “particularly vulnerable” as she was carrying her own child and was unable to step in and help.
“My friend’s daughter was knocked to the ground and it was so scary. It’s definitely made me more alert to the potential dangers,” she told the Mirror.
Hawkins will front a new ITV programme Dangerous Dogs: What’s The Truth? to investigate the growing problem of dog attacks.
According to ITV, last year saw record numbers of fatalities from injuries sustained during such attacks.
Earlier this month Royal Mail said incidents of dog attacks on postal workers had surged to nearly 2,000 reported incidents in 2022.
There were 1,916 dog attacks on postal workers logged during the year to March 31 2023, Royal Mail said.
Dangerous Dogs: What’s The Truth? is due to air on ITV on Thursday at 8.30pm.