Three children and a teacher are recovering from bite wounds after a savage dog attack at Ferny Creek Primary School.
The students, in grades 2 and 4, were playing in the schoolyard at lunchtime when they were attacked by a young English Bulldog.
The principal of Ferny Creek Primary School, Matthew Coyle, said the attack was all over in about one or two minutes.
But it may not have ended if it was not the selfless actions of a teacher who was on yard duty.
“[The dog] came almost directly in from the road [and] quite angrily bit three kids fairly quickly,” Mr Coyle said.
“The dog would have kept going. The teacher got in between the dog and the girl that was being attacked and was able to get the dog to back off.”
Two boys, aged 7 and 9, were taken to Dandenong hospital with bites to their legs.
A girl, 7, and the male teacher that stepped in were also injured but did not require hospitalisation.
The dog was later caught by Yarra Ranges Shire ranger after being chased from the scene.
A council spokeswoman, Tracey Varley, said the dog’s owner turned up at the school after the attack.
Ms Varley said the council will investigate the incident, with plans to interview the families of the children, school officials and the animal’s owners.
“Until that happened [council] can’t speculate on what will happen in this case, but we take dog attacks very seriously and really hope the kids are OK,” she said.
The school’s principal said the attack had shaken everyone involved, especially the young dog-attack victims.
“They’re quite devastated by it … but the paramedics did a great an amazing calming them down,” Mr Coyle said.
“I was pleased with how the staff reacted. You practice these things but you don’t know how it’s going to work before you put it into practice.”
