Click said the child’s injuries were severe and require surgery. The owner also suffered lacerations and a broken finger, she said.
The dog had a previous history of bites and Click said the dog warden’s office received permission from the owner to euthanize the animal in this case. Click said the office wanted to be proactive because of the animal’s history and because the owner no longer felt safe around the dog. The Clark County Health Department could not be reached for comment regarding past violations.
“If we leave a notice, people need to return the call,” Click said. “It’s important.”
The Springfield Police Division and Springfield Fire/Rescue responded to an emergency call on Saturday at a home on the 400 block of Linden Avenue, according to a report. A woman told police she was inside a bedroom with the child when the dog forced its way into the room and began attacking.
When officers arrived, the report says, they were unable to get into the home because of the barking dog.
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“Officers knocked on the door and heard the dog barking at the door,” the report states. “Officers tried to keep the dog’s attention so he would not return to the child victim and victim.”
According to the report, Springfield Fire used a ladder to help get the woman and the child from the bedroom.
“Medics quickly carried the child victim down the ladder and into the ambulance,” the report states. “(The woman) was also assisted down the ladder from the second story of the residence.”
The child was taken to the Springfield Regional Medical Center where a medical helicopter took the child to Children’s Hospital in Columbus.
Officers spoke with the woman who said the dog forced its way into the room she and the child were in.
“(The woman) stated that they were watching TV when the pit bull forced its way into the bedroom and immediately attacked the child victim aggressively mauling the child victim causing severe injuries and lacerations,” the report says. “(The woman) then stated that she tried to pull the pit bull away from the child victim when it turned on her and began to bite her hands. (The woman) then stated that she grabbed the child victim and covered her with a blanket and her body as she yelled at the dog to leave. When the pitbull exited the bedroom, the woman was able to lock the bedroom door from the inside and called 911.”
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The woman did have injuries to her hands, the report states.