9-Year Old Boy Attacked by Pit Bulls in School Play Field
Dogs Located; Next Steps UnclearUPDATE 09/02/08: Pulaski County Animal Control workers have located the group of pit bulls that attacked 9-year-old Jacob Ross. No other new information was provided.
09/01/08: The Boundaries of Pit Bull BansPulaski County, AR - Animal control workers are trying to pinpoint a group of pit bulls that attacked a 9-year-old boy Sunday afternoon. Neighbors say they've seen the dogs running around before near the Sherwood city limits. Now they're concerned about the rest of the kids in the area. Nine-year-old Jacob Ross was hitting a few golf balls in a field next to Northwood Middle School when three pit bulls came out of the woods and went for his legs.
Jacob's sister Macey said, "There were two ladies driving by and they said it looked like the dogs were playing with Jacob. But I guess they got a little too rough. They heard him screaming and they tore up his legs." A paramedic showed up within minutes to bandage up his legs, then Jacob's mom took him to Arkansas Children's Hospital. He got stitches and should be okay, but now neighbors are worried about their kids.
Carl Anderson's daughters almost went to the school to play with Jacob but they decided to stay home and swim. "That could have been us at the hospital with Jacob too," Anderson said. For the safety of neighborhoods like his, Anderson wants tougher rules for dogs in the county. He wouldn't mind seeing a pit bull registration program like
Little Rock's. "Pit bulls do have a bad reputation. They're fearless," he said.
NOTE: The city of
Sherwood -- about 6 miles from the school -- bans pit bulls. It's common for pit bull owners to dump their dogs outside of city limits in these circumstances. After a ban has been enacted, some pit bull owners move themselves and their dogs to the edge of town as well. The school,
Northwood Middle School appears to be located in the city of
North Little Rock, a community that also bans pit bulls.
Related articles:06/08/08:
Little Rock Pit Bull Ordinance: Possibly a Very Effective Blend
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