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Toddler Injured by Grandmother’s Dog

October 2, 2019

Riverside County Animal Services responded to a call at about 7:40 p.m. Friday (Aug. 2) regarding a serious dog attack on a child in Riverside.

Riverside Police officers were first on scene after a 911 call was made from the residence on Fern Avenue in the city’s Casa Blanca neighborhood.

The victim is 18 months old. She is a granddaughter of the dog owner.

She was transported to a local hospital by ambulance. A Riverside Police officer described the incident as a mauling.

The toddler suffered serious wounds to her face and, possibly, to one of her eyes.

The owner of the dog surrendered the animal for euthanasia.

It was a dog familiar to Riverside County Animal Services. The 11-year-old male pit bull, Patron, had previously bitten and seriously injured a different grandchild of the dog owner.

That attack occurred in March 2016 and soon afterward, Animal Services sought a destruction order at an administrative hearing. That order was denied, but the dog was declared vicious and the owner was put on notice about certain restrictions for her pet.

“This owner should have reasonably known this dog posed a danger to a small child,” Animal Services Director Robert Miller said. “After a dog is deemed vicious, it is absolutely reckless if the owner does not take the mandated steps to protect family members -- and the general public.”

Animal Services continues to investigate the incident. Attempts to reach family members have not been successful so far.

“When we seek destruction orders, we’re not doing so because we want to take people’s pets from them,” Miller said. “We’re attempting to stay true to our public safety mission. We’re still investigating this matter, but this incident may prove to be another sad example of a dog that should have been humanely euthanized.”

Picture of Patron (below) is from the time we impounded the dog in March 2016 for the first incident.