Haverhill Mother "Stunned" as Pit Bull Attacks 1-Year Old Daughter
Dog is DestroyedHaverhill, MA - On May 28, it was reported that 1-year old Bianca Zangari-Dacey was attacked by a pit bull as her mother watched in shock. Bianca was taken by ambulance to Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, where a surgeon stitched up the inside and outside of her face. Quick to voice anger about the incident was the little girl's grandfather, who said the dog had bitten other people in the past and should have been seized before the attack on Bianca.
Bianca's grandfather, Tim Dacey of Haverhill, said the girl and her mother, 18-year old Katelyn Zangari, were visiting friends at the home of the adult pit bull when it bit the child's face. Zangari said her daughter had played near the dog named Duchess in the past, without a problem. She said another person who was in the room with them apparently stepped on the pit bull's tail. The dog then turned in the direction of Bianca and bit her face, Zangari said.
In the
WFXT video, however, Zangari said that the two were playing video games when all of a sudden her friend's pit bull "snapped." She said, "I was sitting right next to her when it happened. The dog just booked it, and knew it did something wrong." Zangari said that Bianca had been around the dog since she was born. "She'd pulled the tail and stuff, bites her, licks her, laps her, plays with her, and never done nothing before...it was all really like a quick reaction."
A quick "unfortunate" reaction that may have caused the child lifelong scarring.
According to police, the dog's owner, Elizabeth Kakide, was not home during the incident. Kakide agreed to have the animal euthanized. She also said that the dog was actually owned by her former husband, who had recently
gone to jail, and that she was "caring for the dog." She said she has spoken to Zangari and her family several times since the incident. Following an investigation of the attack, police
announced today that no charges would be brought.
Bianca's aunt, Samantha Dacey, 22, of Lawrence said police told her the child's mother does not want to press charges and that "their hands are tied." Dacey said, "The city should be pressing charges. You can't have dogs biting people. It's just not right." Dacey said destroying the dog brings her little satisfaction. She said it doesn't offer justice to her niece, who will be scarred the rest of her life. "She's my brother's daughter, and my only niece," said Dacey.
Haverhill Pit Bull AttacksThe City of Haverhill has a
pit bull ordinance, but it does not pertain to attacks that occur inside a family's home. The latest incident follows a series of pit bull attacks. The most severe being
Robert Stickney Jr., 11, who was attacked on April 24, 2008 by a large pit bull-mastiff mix while visiting friends at a house on High Street. Three weeks earlier,
Kathleen McCorry-Moge, 45, was attacked by a loose pit bull while walking a dog on Powder House Avenue.
Related ZUPF videoRelated articles:04/28/08:
Haverhill Boy Receives 200 Stitches After Pit Bull-Mastiff Mix Attack04/03/08:
Another Haverhill Woman Attacked by Pit Bull02/14/08:
Haverhill Woman, 26-Years Old, Attacked by Pit Bull
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