Baby Boy Attacked by Family Pit Bull in Flint

Baby May Have Gotten Too Close to Food Bowl
Flint, TX - A 9-month-old baby is recovering after a family pit bull attack. People who witnessed the attack say it happened in the kitchen while the dog was eating. Authorities say the baby boy put his hands near the dog's dish. He was taken to Hurley Medical Center and is in good condition.

Kristen Couture, a cousin to the baby's father, said she and her son were visiting the family when the dog attacked. "She normally puts him up when I come over but she was feeding him," she said. "All we heard were his paws on the floor. We thought he was getting into something, [but] we went in [the kitchen] and there was blood all over the floor."

The Genesee County Animal Control took the dog into custody and the incident has neighbors asking that the pit bull not return. Police say they're handing their investigation on to the county prosecutor, where a decision will be made on what happens next.

DogsBite.org hopes this dog is not returned to this family.

In other news

Two Dog Attacks in Scranton in as Many Days
Scranton, PA - Scranton Police are investigating another pit bull attack. Neighbors say that two pit bulls got out of their owner's house and attacked two dogs that were being walked on leashes. One of the pets died on the scene and the other was taken to a local animal hospital. It is reported that the injured dog will recover.

One day earlier, a 76-year-old woman was crossing the street when two dogs suddenly rushed at her, taking bites out of her arms, legs and neck. Art Bottles, a neighbor, said he tore off his shirt to help stop the woman's bleeding. "The lady's arm, from here all the way across was hanging down," he said. The woman was taken to Community Medical Center where she remains, with severe lacerations.

The dogs, each described as a rottweiler-boxer mix (in a separate news article described as pit bull-rottweiler mix), are locked up at the Humane Society of Lackawanna County. The dogs are being quarantined for 10 days. Animal Control is doing an investigation to see if the dogs should be seized from their owner.

Mike Keen, the owner of the dogs, doesn't want one of the dog's back. "It's sad to say but I don't want him back." The dogs got free by jumping over a four-foot chain link fence on his property but he believes only one is really aggressive, a dog named Bear. The one dog that is vicious, that's causing all the trouble, I only adopted two months ago."

Keen admits Bear also attacked a young girl in the neighborhood about three weeks ago. Police said the girl was not seriously injured but neighbors, like Rose Mascaro admit they are scared after seeing what happened to their friend. "She's 76 years old. It could've taken her life," Mascaro added.

Related article:
04/24/08: Two Dogs Attack Elderly Woman