Monday, June 05, 2006

Dogs chase, bite girl - IN, Boxer and Bulldog

Dogs chase, bite girl in Northside park
By Courtenay Edelhart and Vic Ryckaert

An 11-year-old girl was bitten in the back of the leg after two dogs chased her at Holliday Park on the city's Northside this morning.

Sydni Yates had been on her way to the park's nature center, 6363 Spring Mill Road, around 11:30 a.m. to view some exhibits when a large, white American Bulldog began bearing down on her. The bulldog was followed by another dog, a black boxer.

"I was running around like a maniac, screaming and trying to get away," Sydni said.

Her aunt, who was nearby, shouted at her to stop running, hoping that might calm the animals. It only afforded the bulldog the opportunity to bite her on the back of her left thigh.

The dog released her when she started screaming.

Park police and animal control officers arrived on the scene quickly and captured both dogs about a half hour after the incident.

The girl's wounds were minor and she was given first aid at the nature center, but will be taken to a hospital later as a precaution.

Her mother, Dana Yates,39, of Greenwood, was grateful it wasn't worse.

"If you are going to have those kinds of dogs, those vicious ones, why can't owners be more responsible?" she said. "We have dogs, too, but we keep them under control."

Control officers captured the dog and a brindle-colored Boxer it was roaming with. Officials are currently trying to locate the animals’ owners, said Media Wilson, spokeswoman for Marion County Animal Care and Control.

Also today, officials killed a pit-bull mix that mauled a toddler last week at a Near-Westside home. Wilson said the procedure to dispose of the animal went smoothly this morning.

Mark Hamilton, 44, voluntarily allowed the county to kill his dog Ozzie. The dog, a pit-bull mix, attacked 18-month-old Amaya Hess on Friday, sending the child to the hospital with critical injuries to her face and eyes.

In a report describing the mauling, Indianapolis Police Officer Lawrence Hoskins said “half of the child’s face was missing.”

People, not dogs, are responsible for how their pets’ behavior, said Laura Gonzo, a spokeswoman for Indy Pit Crew, a group of pit bull enthusiasts who want to change the breed’s tarnished image.

“Everybody needs to be responsible,” Gonzo said. “It’s about personal responsibility. Keep your dogs on leashes. Keep your dogs under control. If you are a parent, keep an eye on your children and don’t let them approach strange dogs.”

1 Comments:

Blogger Conners said...

Gonzo's remarks are SOOO true! It's about responsibility. Dog owners AND parents!

10:55 AM  

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