Rottweiler kills toddler in neighbor’s yard

On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Dog Bites on Wednesday, March 21, 2012.

When dangerous dogs are left in range of small children, tragedy can ensue. A Rottweiler chained up to a pole in the front yard of its owner’s home attacked and killed a 17-month-old boy who left his mother and went into the yard. The tragedy occurred earlier this month in Florida.

The dog attack involved the Rottweiler biting the child in the neck. A neighbor’s girlfriend rushed the child to Shands Jacksonville hospital, where medical personnel were unable to save him.

The child and his mother had just made a trip to the grocery store shortly before noon. The child’s mother was reportedly in the process of unloading groceries from the family vehicle when her son wandered away and across the street to a neighbor’s front yard, where the dog attacked him. The child’s father ran to the scene and tried to release his son from the dog’s grasp. An eyewitness neighbor who witnessed the scene reported seeing the child in the dog’s mouth, covered in his own blood. Another witness reported hearing the child’s mother yelling that the dog had gotten a hold of the baby.

Sheriff’s officers were summoned to the scene. The animal was taken into the custody of authorities. A detective said that the dog will be humanely killed, although there were no prior reports of it attacking anyone. One neighbor did say, however, that the Rottweiler had once chased after her.

At the time of the attack, the dog’s owner was away from home. The child was described as energetic and adventurous, with the “brightest smile that lit up a room.”

Source: Jacksonville.com, “Jacksonville 17-month-old killed by neighbor’s Rottweiler,” Jim Schoettler, March 9, 2012