GRAPHIC IMAGE WARNING: Maria was celebrating a friend’s birthday with her son when he was allegedly attacked by a dog.
A Scots mum was left shaken after her son was allegedly attacked by a dog at a busy local park.
Nine-year-old Nicholas Quintero suffered injuries to his face after the horror incident while he and his family attended a surprise birthday party at Leith Links on Thursday night, reports Edinburgh Live.
Nick’s mum Maria Cedeno recalled singing happy birthday to a friend before she heard screams and turned round to find blood gushing from her son’s face after the dog supposedly lunged at him.
According to Maria, Nick pointed to a Bulldog-type dog as she removed him from the park and called an ambulance. Medics arrived and police were later alerted to the incident.
However, Maria claims the owners of the dog attempted to mask the incident from police and initially denied any wrongdoing. Nick was rushed to hospital and returned on Friday morning, June 20, for surgery due to the severity of his facial injuries.
Maria is now furious following the ordeal and the handling of the incident by the owners of the dog. She claims they are yet to apologise or take any accountability for the attack which has left her son “traumatised.”
When approached for comment Police Scotland confirmed a child was taken to hospital after being jumped at by a dog. However, images taken by Maria appear to show a bite mark on her son’s body.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live Maria, from Saughton, said: “I took the children to a gathering for a surprise party and it was supposed to be a fun day out and water gun fight.
“The children were getting ready and everyone started singing happy birthday but all of a sudden I hear Nicholas shouting and screaming. My son’s friends and him say all he did was pet the dog, there was no trigger for it to react like that.
“The owners tried to tell the police there was balloons but there was none at all. When I saw all the blood I thought he had a nose bleed as it just wouldn’t stop but he was covering his face and pointing to the dog.
“My reaction was I have to take him out of the park and phone an ambulance. The ambulance crew phoned the police and the dog was suddenly gone. It took 30 or 40 minutes for them to admit it was their dog.
“We’re now in hospital as he needs surgery. He has a cut at his mouth which is properly open and can’t be stitched. I’m thankful the dog couldn’t properly get a hold of him or he could have lost half his face.”
Pictures shared by Maria show the severity of the injury sustained in the attack as he was left with a huge cut on his face pouring with blood.
Maria stated that the incident has already had a significant impact on her son as he was spooked by the family’s own dog when he returned home on Thursday.
The attack was also witnessed by Maria’s other son, who is 11-years-old, and a friend of his. Police have since confirmed the matter has been passed to the dog warden.
Maria added: “It is all wrong and I want to make people cautious. I also want the owners to take accountability and responsibility as there hasn’t even been an apology or a message to ask if they can help.
“Two more children have been left in shock by this as his older brother and his friend were there. As owners we have to take accountability and if this was the other way around I’d be calling an ambulance and helping in any way, but there was no help.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 6.45pm on Thursday, 19 June, 2025, officers received a report of a dog having jumped at a child in the Links Place area of Edinburgh.
“The child was taken to hospital for treatment. The matter has been passed to the dog warden.”
A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We received a call at 18:32 on Thursday 19 June to attend an incident on Salamander Place, Edinburgh. We dispatched one ambulance to the scene and transported one patient to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.”