Aug 19, 2008 9:20 pm US/Eastern
Toddler Released From Hospital After Dog Attack
ABERDEEN, Md. (WJZ) ―
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Police are investigating a daycare provider after a pit bull attacked an 18-month-old boy.
CBS
A little boy has been released from the hospital after a pit bull tore apart his scalp. Witnesses say the attack happened in an instant as the pit bull threw the 18-month-old like a rag doll while the woman running the daycare used the bathroom.
The terrifying incident unfolded in Aberdeen. It's raising new concerns about the controversial breed.
Mike Hellgren has the latest on the injuries and the investigation.
Demetrious Allen's body bears the scars of a pit bull attack. The little victim underwent surgery after a dog at his private daycare in Aberdeen lunged at him, clamping down on his head. Doctors say he will have no permanent brain damage.
His mother spoke first to
Eyewitness News.
"They took his bandages off, and it was too much for me. I just kind of left it in their hands and left the room. It was too much," said Ericka Lewis, his mother.
The woman who runs the daycare said the dog had never attacked before. It happened while she was using the bathroom.
"My neighbor, 'cause I was expecting another daycare kid, came busting in the house saying that he was outside with the dog, so we came running outside, and I called the dog's name, and he dropped him. And I picked him up and brought him into the house, called 911," said Brunke.
Police say the daycare is licensed and no one will face criminal charges.
"She was definitely someone who we trusted," Lewis said. "You hear about pit bull attacks all the time."
Similar attacks have given the breed a negative image. One-year-old Jaden Garrison's face was mauled by his family's pit bull in Baltimore. In Towson, a 10-year-old was hospitalized after his neighbor's pit bull attacked. A seven-year-old in Baltimore was also hospitalized. A number of attacks in Prince George's County led authorities to ban pit bulls.
"I can't think of a single injury of this nature that was incurred by any other species other than a pit bull or a Rottweiler," said Dr. Patrick Byrne with Johns Hopkins Hospital.
A CDC study revealed one-third of all fatal dog attacks are caused by pit bulls, but it was criticized over how the dogs were classified.
"There are plenty of little dogs responsible for many, many bites, but those bites are small bites. They don't do the same kind of damage," said dog trainer Rachel Lachow.
As for the young Aberdeen victim, his family is surrounding him with support.
"He's a baby," Lewis said. "He's in pain."
Because of the boy's injuries, though, the pit bull will be euthanized.
The boy will have a live-in nurse while he recovers.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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