A 13-year-old girl was hospitalised after being bitten by a stray dog in an Arbroath park.
Amy Adams was attacked by what she described as a Staffordshire bull terrier. She sustained a puncture wound to her hand, which became infected, and was in surgery for four hours.
Amy was treated at Arbroath Royal Infirmary on Tuesday afternoon but the infection had travelled up her arm. She was then rushed to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee to see the specialist plastic surgery team.
Amy’s grandmother Anne-Marie Thomson, 60, said: “She was in the park at the Saltire in Arbroath with some friends on Monday at around 9pm. She jumped off the swing and the dog attacked her.
“She has a bite on her hand. The problem was the infection tracking up her arm.
“She went into theatre at 1am today and she left at five this morning. She’s on antibiotics and they will keep an eye on her for 24 hours.”
Asked how Arbroath High pupil Amy was coping with the situation, Ms Thomson said: “It’s hard she’s a child.”
A police spokesman said: “The dog appears to have been a stray Staffie.”
He confirmed that inquiries into the incident are continuing.
Locals have expressed outrage at the situation, with Arbroath councillor David Fairweather saying: “It’s dreadful, especially if it was a stray that bit her.
“It has been highlighted time and time again by local sanctuaries that we have a number of these stray dogs in the town.
“They have been kicked out by an irresponsible owner. These dogs are not under control. I hope the police make it a priority to find the dog that did this.
“It needs to be found and caged as quickly as possible. If it has bitten once, it is likely it will bite again.”