THE owners of a dog that left a little girl needing stitches when it attacked her for the second time this year are pleading for it not to be put down – saying the animal is good natured and the attacks were just “freak accidents”.

Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier Buster will be put down unless his owners can get an expert to say he is not a danger following the attack in his owner’s home.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was bitten on the face by the dog at the home of Michael Nash, 66, of Pound Bank Road, Malvern.

Nash admitted being in charge of a dog which was ‘dangerously out of control’ in the house during the attack on July 19 at around 9.15pm when he appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court.

The dog has since been seized and the owners face a £1,526 bill for kennel fees and a vet fee of £76.20.

District judge Nigel Cadbury also told Nash he would have to prove Buster is not dangerous else the animal will be destroyed.

Nash and his wife Linda are now raising money for an expert report, which they say will cost about £500, in a bid to prove Buster is not dangerous.

Speaking to your Worcester News this week, Mr Nash said: “He is not a dangerous dog. It was just a nip, not a bite, and as soon as he did it he cowered.”

And his wife Linda said: “Buster is a lovely dog and is not nasty or dangerous. He is even best friends with Gerrard our cat.

“The authorities have over-reacted. They have heard he is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and gone over the top.

“We will do anything to keep him - muzzle him, keep him in a separate room from the kids and we have already installed a dog gate. We know it should not have happened but Buster is not malicious. He is nervous and on both occasions it was just freak accidents.”

During the hearing on Friday, Jackie Rogers, prosecuting said the girl, was playing in the paddling pool before she came into the living room and the child was showing the defendant how she could swim by waving her arms.

She said: “It was at that point the dog walked by her. She bent down to touch him. He bit her once on the right cheek of her face causing injury that subsequently required eight stitches under general anaesthetic.”

Hospital staff contacted police because the same dog had bitten the same child on February 14 this year. Police seized Buster, who has been in kennels since.

Nash has jointly owned the two and a half-year-old dog since the animal was four months old.

Paul Stanley, defending, said: “She grabbed the dog and it bit her.” He added during the first incident when she was bitten in February she tripped over and fell on the dog.”

Mr Cadbury said: “You hear these horrible stories of children being killed in circumstances like this. This happened once before which does make this serious. There is a danger always that they’re going to do it again. The safest thing to do is to destroy it I’m afraid.”

Judge Cadbury adjourned the case until a sentencing hearing on January 22 next year at Worcester Magistrates Court.