Another animal attacks child story in the news. This time a seven year old was by a foot long rat. Luckily the family pet dog came to the rescue and sniffed out / despatched the invading rodent.

Sleeping girl, 7, is bitten on the face by foot-long RAT which climbed on to her bed:

• Francesca Williams was woken in bed to find the rat crawling on her
• Schoolgirl said when she moved the foot-long rodent bit her cheek and arm
• The family dog Hattie sniffed out the rat hiding under the bed and killed it
• Francesca’s mother Wendy said it ‘could have been so much worse’

Her mother Wendy said she and husband Darren were woken at about 2.30am by their daughter’s cries but thought she had a bad dream. But when they looked in on her they found her face and arm covered in blood.

Mrs Williams, from Symonds Yat, Herefordshire, said: ‘She was crying and said a big brown animal had bitten her.
‘She said she woke up after feeling something crawling on her leg and when she moved it bit her.’

The 35-year-old said her husband used their dog to sniff out the rat.
She said: ‘We could see from the blood on her face and arm that something had happened so my husband Darren went to get our dog Hattie to see if he could find anything. ‘The dog immediately sniffed the rat out. It was hiding underneath Francesca’s bed. ‘Hattie killed it and Darren threw it outside.’

Francesca has been traumatised that she could not sleep in her room for almost a week after the attack last Thursday.

Mrs Williams said although they live in a rural area, they rarely see rats and do not know how the rodent got into their house. She said:

‘There have been no droppings, nests or signs of any rats in our home so we can only assume it got in that day, through the cat flap perhaps.
‘You just never think a rat would come into your home, let alone bite your child. It’s unbelievable.
‘I thought she was having a bad dream or couldn’t find her teddy, never in a million years did I think Francesca would have been bitten by a rat.’

Mrs Williams took her daughter to the doctors for a check up. She said: ‘You hear about rats carrying diseases and so we worried Francesca may have caught an infection but she’s been to the doctors and has been given some antibiotics and luckily everything is okay.

‘It could have been so much worse, what if it had bitten her near her eye or if the rat had bitten a baby, it’s frightening.’

In November, toddler Lolly Molyneux was also bitten in her bedroom at the family home in Camden, North London. Her mother Lindsey said the large rat bit the 16-year-old girl on the wrist leaving deep wounds.
They did not know what had happened until a foot-long rat scuttled past, which then escaped.

Pest Solutions says:

Its not just foxes that will attack humans as this article demonstrates. Rodents (Rats, mice and squirrels) are foragers by nature. They will enter buidings through gaps in the building fabric and search out food sources and nesting sites, often undetected until they have established themselves, causing damage and distress to home and business owners whilst spreading diseases.

Dont take the risk or underestimate rats or mice. If you think you have a problem call Pest Solutions. Our experienced team are waiting to help assess and give advice on rodent problems affective your home and businesss.