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Last updated on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
(WASHINGTON COUNTY) - A 22-month-old Washington County girl sustained severe facial injuries after she was attacked by a relative’s pit bull last week.
Sheriff Claude Combs says Animal Control Officer Randy Lee and Julie Graham, of the county health department, acted quickly after St. Vincent Salem Hospital notified authorities.
Combs says the dog was captured and quarantined. The dog must be held for 10 days to ensure it is healthy.
Combs says the dog has had its shots, but the hold is mandatory to ensure the animal has no infectious disease.
Combs says the child was at home with her caregiver, Amanda Bush, when the dog, owned by Scotty Bragg, was in the living room where the toddler and a 15-year-old girl were.
The toddler began walking across the room and that is when the dog attacked her.
Combs says, the 15-year-old was not paying attention when the dog attacked, so they did not see if the toddler had didanything that might have provoked the animal.
After the attack, Combs says the teen immediately grabbed the toddler and took her to Bush, who took her to St. Vincent Hospital.
Hospital staff then called police.
The child was transferred to Kosair Children's Hospital where she underwent exploratory surgery. A plastic surgeon also treated the child.
According to police reports, the child had deep laceration about two inches long near her nose and facial fractures as well as bite marks on her face and head.
The child has since been released from the hospital.
Combs says, the prosecutor's office has been notified and is reviewing the case. The fate of the dog had not been determined, but Combs feels the dog should be destroyed.
The owner of the dog, Scotty Bragg, told officials, the dog had never been aggressive before, but had growled at some adults. Bragg told police the dog had a rough life before he got it. Bragg told authorities he'd had the 6-year-old dog for about four years.
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