Thursday, August 14, 2008

Alaska: Girl remains in critical condition after pit bull attack

Anchorage, Alaska

From KTUU of August 12, 2008
Girl remains in critical condition after pit bull attack

A 6-year-old girl remains in critical condition Tuesday after a pit bull attacked her and a baby sitter.

Two neighbors came to the rescue and one of them shot the dog to save the victims.

The attack happened a little before 3 p.m. at an East Anchorage trailer park, the Riviera Terrace, near 32nd Avenue and Lee Street.

"The report was a pit bull had attacked a 6-year-old girl and she was severely injured. In fact the original report thought the girl was dead," said APD Lt. Paul Honeman.

John Kersbergen and Shawnee Hart witnessed some of the attack.

"I heard the screams get worse. I looked out the window and I see the dog has the baby sitter by the arm out here and the neighbor has his pistol. He shoots away, then, and the dog lets go. But then the dog turned on him, so he had to shoot again and after, like, three shots he finally hit the dog in the leg," Hart said.

Police say Kyle Mayeaux rushed into the house to try and revive the little girl. Troy Danforth shot the dog in the leg, possibly saving the child's life.

No one knows for certain why the dog attacked the child but neighbors said the dog was known to be aggressive.

The child, however, lived with the dog so it seems it have been familiar with the residents.

"When their dog was attacking at us we had to swing at it with a metal leash and the owner is hollering at us, 'Don't hit our dog, it's friendly, it's a security dog,'" Hart said. "The dog is snarling, trying to pick my dog's head off."

Police say the baby sitter had injuries on her arm and leg.

There was a third, younger child in the house that was not attacked by the dog.

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