Dog Bites Toddler
By DONNA HARRIS
The Mississippi Press, www.GulfLive.com
June 17, 2004, MOSS POINT -- A Moss Point child attacked by a German shepherd early Wednesday required stitches for the bites. The dog is being held at Jackson County Animal Shelter and may be euthanized.
Myya Robinson said she thought the dog was chained to a tree across the way on Williams Street as she stopped to leave her 20-month-old daughter, Kennedy, with family members who regularly baby-sit the child.
However, the dog had broken the chain and was roaming free. "He was just there all of a sudden attacking us," she said. "I was holding her with one arm, fighting with the other."
Kennedy was taken to Singing River Hospital by private vehicle where she was treated for eight bites. Three of the bites required stitches, Robinson said.
Robinson said she had put her daughter down briefly as they were getting items out of the car, but she had picked her up and was walking to the front door when the attack occurred. "That's what saved her I think," she said.
Moss Point police were called, but because the dog owners were also family members, no charges were filed.
Robinson said the owners voluntarily released the dog to the Jackson County Animal Shelter.
A police report was not available Wednesday.
Shelter director Bill Richman said the county shelter picked up the dog because the Moss Point Animal Control Officer was unavailable.
Richman said dog bites are a common occurrence in Jackson County. "This sort of thing happens all the time," he said. "We hardly ever have a time we don't have at least one bite case in-house."
Richman said dogs picked up in bite cases cannot be adopted. They can only be released to the owners after a 10-day waiting period. "If they don't want it back, we have to put it to sleep," he said.
According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 4.7 million people a year are bitten by dogs, with more than 800,000 Americans seeking medical attention. Half of those bitten are children. Of those injured, 386,000 require treatment in an emergency department and about a dozen die.
The rate of dog bite-related injuries is highest for children ages 5 to 9 years, and the rate decreases as children age. Almost two thirds of the injuries among children ages 4 years and younger are to the head or neck region. Injury rates in children are significantly higher for boys than for girls.
