Loose pit bull attacks girl, puppy in Pensacola

On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Dog Bites on Thursday, January 5, 2012.

A recent dog attack shows the importance of keeping potentially dangerous animals restrained.

A pit bull that was allegedly roaming loose around the grounds of a Pensacola middle school attacked a young girl and also killed the girl’s 6-week-old Pomeranian puppy. And while thisdog attack occurred, the pit bull’s owner stood there and did nothing, according to the victim’s mother.

The dog belonged to a staff member who lived on the grounds of the middle school for security purposes. The employee was permitted by the school to own two dogs, but was responsible to keep them properly leashed while outside.

The victim’s mother said that the man really owned three dogs, one of which was a pit bull. Not only did he apparently own too many dogs, but the pit bull often wandered free. The victim’s family lived in a home that borders the school, which can be accessed by an opening in the yard fence.

One recent day, the loose pit bull allegedly attacked the 12-year-old girl, who was with her puppy at the time. The girl started to scream in terror, which caught the attention of her mother and mother’s boyfriend who were inside the house.

According to Fox 10 TV’s website, the pit bull had mauled the small puppy while the girl tried to stop it with a Taser. The girl’s mom rushed outside to try to stop the attack, but the pit bull did not relent until the mother’s boyfriend fired multiple gun shots in the air.

The little girl says that she remains traumatized by the events and her mother says that she is reminded of the gruesome incident every time she walks through or near the area.

Source: Fox 10 TV, “Loose dog attacks girl, kills puppy,” Joe Salvatore, Dec. 6, 2011