Owner tried to blame girl, 4, after she was savaged by her dog and won’t apologise

A dog owner said ‘it’s her own fault’ after a young girl was thrown around like a rag doll by her pitbull.

Tillie Vasey, four, still needs surgery after being mauled by Dawn Holt’s pitbull Caesar as she played with friends in a garden.

Holt insisted ‘my dog didn’t bite her, he clawed her to get away’ as she tried to shift the blame for what happened.

Tillie after she was attacked by a dog. See SWNS story SWLEattack - A judge has slammed the owner of a devil dog which almost mauled a five-year-old girl to death as she played outside -- after she claimed it was the victim's FAULT. 4-year-old Tillie Vasey had 9 hours of surgery after the horrific dog attack in Preston in July 2018
Tillie Vasey, four, suffered horrendous injuries to her face and needed multiple operations (Picture: family handout/SWNS)
Tillie after she was attacked by a dog. See SWNS story SWLEattack - A judge has slammed the owner of a devil dog which almost mauled a five-year-old girl to death as she played outside -- after she claimed it was the victim's FAULT. 4-year-old Tillie Vasey had 9 hours of surgery after the horrific dog attack in Preston in July 2018
Tillie’s mum Leanne says her daughter has been left ‘with no confidence’ (Picture: family handout/SWNS)

She narrowly avoided jail but Judge Simon Newell hit out at her ‘wholly irresponsible’ reaction to the attack that could easily have killed the little girl.

Tillie had to undergo nine hours of surgery immediately after the attack, has had another two rounds of surgery and still needs more.

A court heard that there was ‘no way’ that Tillie’s injuries were caused simply through being clawed.

Judge Newell told Holt as he handed her a suspended sentence: ‘Children have no discriminations, their knowledge and experience is terribly limited. A lot of children who see a dog want to touch the dog, play with the dog.

Tillie after she was attacked by a dog. See SWNS story SWLEattack - A judge has slammed the owner of a devil dog which almost mauled a five-year-old girl to death as she played outside -- after she claimed it was the victim's FAULT. 4-year-old Tillie Vasey had 9 hours of surgery after the horrific dog attack in Preston in July 2018
A judge made an order for the dog who attacked Tillie to be destroyed (Picture: family handout/SWNS)

Many dogs have a condition nicknamed “Frito Feet,” in which their feet smell little bit like corn chips. As Matt Soniak wrote in a Big Question on this site, this has to do with the kind of bacteria found on a pup’s feet, and “could be due to yeast or Proteus bacteria. Both are known for their sweet, corn tortilla–like smell. Or it could be Pseudomonas bacteria, which smell a little fruitier—but pretty close to popcorn to most noses.”

Tillie after she was attacked by a dog. See SWNS story SWLEattack - A judge has slammed the owner of a devil dog which almost mauled a five-year-old girl to death as she played outside -- after she claimed it was the victim's FAULT. 4-year-old Tillie Vasey had 9 hours of surgery after the horrific dog attack in Preston in July 2018
The dog left Tillie with scars on her head, a fractured skull and a torn tear duct (Picture: family handout/SWNS)

‘They can behave in an improper way to the dog, entirely innocently. When you’re leaving them with small children you’ve got to be there.’

Tillie suffered a fractured skull in the attack which Holt insisted as a result of her hitting a tree stump as she fell.

She also had a torn tear duct, scars on her head and puncture wounds around her eyes.

Because of her injuries Tillie missed out on school trips and activities with her friends, but the community rallied around, taking part in a sponsored walk to raise money to buy toys.

Her mum Leanne said her daughter was so badly injured she thought someone had ‘painted her face’ and froze in shock.

Tillie joined family, friends and neighbours at the start of a sponsored walk around Moor Park, even though she remains under treatment at the Royal Preston nine days after she was saved from the jaws of a pitbull cross. See SWNS story SWLEattack - A judge has slammed the owner of a devil dog which almost mauled a five-year-old girl to death as she played outside -- after she claimed it was the victim's FAULT. 4-year-old Tillie Vasey had 9 hours of surgery after the horrific dog attack in Preston in July 2018
Family, friends and neighbours took part in a sponsored walk to raise money for toys for Tillie (Picture: SWNS)
Tillie after she was attacked by a dog. See SWNS story SWLEattack - A judge has slammed the owner of a devil dog which almost mauled a five-year-old girl to death as she played outside -- after she claimed it was the victim's FAULT. 4-year-old Tillie Vasey had 9 hours of surgery after the horrific dog attack in Preston in July 2018
Tillie Vasey needed a further two operations and has another one planned for this year (Picture: family handout/SWNS)

She says Tillie was ‘always really bubbly’ but now has ‘no confidence’ after her ordeal.

Holt, 41, from Preston, was given a three month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, banned from keeping dogs for life and told to carry out 140 hours of unpaid work.

Judge Simon Newell also ordered the 12-year-old dog, named Caesar, to be destroyed.

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