Family pictureA father wants a change in the law over pet insurance, after his daughter's face was left scarred by a dog attack outside their home.
Currently, it is not a legal requirement for owners to have cover in the UK.
But Alex, 39, from Bridgend, believes it should be mandatory in the same way car insurance is to cover things such as medical care, counselling and compensation, after Lilly was attacked.
Alex is also worried that future work, such as cleaning up the scar, will have to be paid for by his family privately.
The UK government has been asked to comment.
Warning: This story contains graphic details and images
Lilly was 10 when she was attacked in September 2023, and had just finished playing football with a neighbour when the Staffordshire bull terrier cross breed bit her face.
Her father said “it was horrific”.
“My wife and I were watching TV, and my youngest daughter was getting her hair plaited,” said Alex
“Lilly was out playing football with the local boys and popped back to one of their houses and we heard a scream because it's only 50 yards away.
“We saw Lilly coming away with a piece of her face missing.
“There was loads of blood.”
Alex drove his daughter to the accident and emergency unit at the Princess of Wales hospital in Bridgend.
Alex said “she asked me in the car am I going to die, dad”.
“She's a very tough kid but it obviously hurt and she cried a lot but the shock sent her white,” he added.
Lilly underwent surgery at Morriston Hospital in Swansea soon afterwards and spent two nights at the hospital.
“My friends were worried about me when I was away in hospital, I am improving but every now and again it's really scary and sometimes I look at my scar and I don't like the look of it and it's scary that this can happen,” she said.
“I put on a scar cream most nights to help it improve.”
The family also have a dog called Snapple, and Lilly was cautious about going near him after the attack by the neighbour's dog.
They never have the dog around guests because it now makes Lilly anxious.
Lilly said: “When Snapple sneezed, it would make me jump and I would burst into tears but now I find I'm not really scared about myself I'm scared of it happening to other people.
“So, when my dog is around my friends I get really panicked and I want to put her away so that nothing can happen.”
Alex said the dog that attacked Lilly was destroyed and the owner was fined.
“It was very upsetting when there was nothing more that I could do and there's nothing we could have done to prevent it,” he said.
“It's just not something you expect 50 yards from you own front door.”
Alex O'ByrneLilly has not undergone counselling because of the waiting times and her father describes her as being “resilient.”
After advice from a local GP Lilly started keeping a diary and her parents were allowed to read it and would address any entries they found upsetting and see how they could help.
She also received support from her primary school, having weekly discussions with a teacher and would share how she was coping after the dog attack.
Lilly said she would like to be a judge or a maths teacher when she is older and is concentrating on her schoolwork and sport to help her recovery.
“I really enjoy playing football because it gives me a break from the world, and nothing can hurt me there and the best thing about it is I can be with my friends,” she said.
Alex said his daughter was emotional because of the scarring when she attended her leaving prom at primary school last year.
“It's a time when everyone gets dressed up and Lilly was upset when she was getting ready,” he said.
“My worry is when she gets older, if she was to have surgery to clean the scar up, she can't have that on the NHS, it'll have to be done privately.
“I don't think it's fair she has no recourse to remedy a scar which was left through no fault of her own.”
Alex is now calling for a change in the law and for all dog owners to insure their animals.
The consumer group, Which, said pet insurance policies currently available will have third-party liability.
It means, if your dog injures someone or damages their property it will cover legal costs and compensation.
Alex said: “It should be as normal as owning a car, any animal owner but especially dog owners, should have insurance.
“If you own an animal that could cause harm at a minimum you should insure them for a liability against that harm.
“It seems insane that it doesn't already happen.
“”We have insurance on our dog and it's not the cheapest thing, a lot of people are struggling with cash, so they don't want to pay insurance.
“We want it to be a legal requirement, If you own a dog you must insure it.”
