DICKINSON — A 2-year-old girl was undergoing surgery Monday evening, after a family pet mauled her.

The girl’s aunt was babysitting her and an infant Monday at the aunt’s mobile home in the 3400 block of Ohio. The aunt began feeding the infant about 12:30 p.m., police said.

Seconds later, the woman later told police, she heard a commotion in her front yard. The woman went outside and found her 60-pound dog, which was chained to a tree, mauling the toddler, according to police reports.

The woman freed the child in a struggle during which the dog slipped loose of its chain, police said.

When police Sgt. Jay Jaekel arrived, the dog was on the porch of the home. As Jaekel approached the home, the dog got up and charged him.

Jaekel “shot the dog, once, in self-defense,” said police Capt. Steve Krone. The bullet went into the dog’s upper chest, but did not kill it.

The child suffered what appeared to be a punctured lung, as well as bites to her face and arms, police said. A LifeFlight helicopter took her to Hermann Memorial Hospital in Houston, where she was undergoing surgery Monday evening.

The girl’s name was not available Monday, pending next-of-kin notification.

County animal-control officers later went to the home, where the dog was now lying underneath the porch. Officers coaxed out the dog, which went along peacefully, officials said.

In order to test the dog for rabies, officials could likely euthanize the dog, which appeared to be a mixed-breed, said Kurt Koopmann, spokesman for the Galveston County Health District.

The dog’s owner could provide no proof of vaccination, officials said. No charges had been filed in the case Monday.

Published in the Houston Chronicle 10/10/06
Published in the ABC Channel 13 News 10/09/06

 For More Information Contact:
Kurt Koopmann
Public Information Officer
Galveston County Health District
409-938-2211 or 409-392-0007
kkoopman@gchd.org