INDIANA -- A four-year-old's recovering after being attacked by a dog. It happened in Pike County earlier this week.
Now conservation officers, and Pike and Gibson County deputies are investigating.
Emergency responders say the mauling was so severe, they were worried young Hannah was going to bleed to death before she could make it to the hospital.
Now conservation officers, and Pike and Gibson County deputies are investigating.
Emergency responders say the mauling was so severe, they were worried young Hannah was going to bleed to death before she could make it to the hospital.
From a distance four-year-old Hannah Mathies looks like an ordinary child.
But a closer look reveals the more than 32 staples on her head.
"At first I thought she got bit by a dog probably wasn't a big deal. I never expected it to be what it was. It pretty much looked like a flap like a pocket that the dog had opened up on her head and folded back off her skull, it's the first time I have ever seen the actual inside of a head, I've seen a scar like that before, but that was on someone who had a tumor removed," Hannah's guardian Lynette Mathias says.
The Pike County Sheriff's office says Hannah was playing in her neighbor's yard, by the black German shephard-chow mix, when the dog bit her on the leg and brought her to the ground.
Authorities then say the dog mauled Hannah's head.
"All I could think was when I saw the trauma to her head is thank god it wasn't her face or throat," Mathias says.
Emergency crews say Hannah was bleeding profusely when she arrived at the Oakland City Fire Station from there officials say she was transported to Deaconess Gateway Hospital.
State conservation officers are now investigating the case.
"It's hard on any responder, first responder it affects everybody there's no doubt about that," DNR's Paul Axton says.
The dog, Taz, has been put down and is being tested for rabies.
Taz's caretaker says he has never had a rabies shot.
Hannah is waiting for those results and recovering. Her staples come out after ten days.
Her family is grateful she's going to be okay, saying they don't wish this on anyone.
"If you have a dog that you dearly love that's aggressive only to other people or children put them in the a pen, put them away from people, warn people please don't let the children go near the dogs," Mathias says.
14 News spoke with the caretaker of the dog, Melody Reavis Friday.
She was in tears saying Taz has only nipped one person before and if she had known Taz was capable of this, the dog would have been put down a lot sooner.
Reavis helped take Hannah to the hospital and says she is offered money for rabies testing.
So far, we do not have any word on charges
(WFIE - April 1, 2011)
