CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — An 8-month-old girl was in critical condition after being attacked by the family’s pit bull, Clayton County police said.
The toddler was taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, where she was rushed into surgery.
An officer at the scene told Channel 2 Action News reporter Tom Jones that the area in the home where the girl was attacked looked like a crime scene.
Officers said the baby’s mother was in the process of feeding the child and the dog at the same time. The baby somehow got out of her high chair and onto the floor near the dog. Officers said the dog then attacked the baby, biting off her diaper and chunks of skin on her buttocks. The dog then dragged the child to the back yard before the baby’s mother managed to snatch the baby away.
Family members declined to comment as they left the home.
Police cited the dog’s owner, a great uncle of the victim, for prohibitive treatment of the dog and for not having vaccination tags.
Homeowners said the dog has been a menace to the neighborhood for awhile.
Alfred Nelson said he was killing fire ants in his yard one day when the dog started racing toward him in a threatening manner.
“So I went and grabbed me a shovel and came back out. I immediately called 911 and had 911 send animal control out here to do their job. This all would have been avoided,” Nelson claimed.
The dog will be quarantine for 10 days to see if it has rabies.
Copyright 2010 by WSBTV.com.
