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News Releases Two Dogs Severely Attack 8-year-old Girl in Mead Valley
News Releases Two Dogs Severely Attack 8-year-old Girl in Mead Valley
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| Tuesday, 13 October 2009 00:00 |
Two Dogs Severely Attack 8-year-old Girl in Mead ValleyMEAD VALLEY – Two dogs attacked an 8-year-old girl Friday night (Oct. 9) in the Woodcrest area. The girl suffered multiple wounds and was taken by ambulance to the Riverside County Regional Medical Center. The girl was spending the weekend at her grandmother’s home on Nuthatch Street in the Mead Valley area. She was playing outside when the attack happened about 6 p.m. A neighbor rescued the girl from further harm when he picked her up and put her over his shoulder and rushed inside to call 911. A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy arrived on scene first, followed quickly by an after-hours Animal Services officer. Animal Control Officer Krista Stewart confiscated the two unaltered, fawn boxers from the owner. The owner said his son was power washing the dogs’ kennel area. During the cleaning, the dogs were loose on the property in an unfenced yard. The girl was walking down the street when the dogs chased her and attacked her. Officer Stewart drove to the hospital where the victim was being prepped for surgery. The child said the dogs chased her and bit her on her buttocks, arms, legs and face. She suffered many puncture wounds. “This is clearly a case of improper containment,” Animal Services Captain Tammie Belmonte said. “These dogs were not monitored. This horrible incident didn’t have to happen.” After hearing of the severity of the injuries, the owner of the dogs released the boxers for rabies tests and euthanasia. The owner did not have proper verification of a current rabies vaccination certificate on either dog. The mother of the girl said she believed the neighbor saved her daughter’s life and visited him the next day to thank him for his rescue efforts. |