Pottsville police said the pit bull appeared to have turned on the three children at the home of Justin and Nicole Eaddy, 302 Fleet St., with the oldest child suffering the most severe injuries.
Police did not know the names of the children or the extent of their injuries at the scene. They said the parents, who are the animal's owners, were not home at the time and they believe the older child was caring for the younger ones.
Officers responded to a report of an animal attacking a child in the 300 block of Fleet Street about 12:40 p.m. When they arrived on the scene, officers found a 13-year-old girl lying on the sidewalk with serious injuries, police said. Neighbors told them the dog had been "mauling" her in the street.
The dog also attacked two siblings under the age of 10, who suffered less severe wounds before the animal ran away.
Lehigh Valley had no information on the 13-year-old's condition when contacted Wednesday night.
Police said that shortly after their arrival, officers and neighbors saw the dog coming back and acting viciously.
The police used Tasers on the dog but it continued to come toward the 13-year-old, neighbors and police in an apparent attack. Officers then fired pellet guns and hit the animal, which ran, but then circled back toward the scene.
An officer pinned the dog against a wall with a car while it continued to act extremely aggressively. It was eventually shot and killed by a city police officer with one handgun round.
Neighbor Dorothy Majcher said she was returning from grocery shopping when she heard the commotion.
"I looked over and saw the dog covered in blood and the child was covered in blood," Majcher, who was visibly shaken, said after the ambulances and police had cleared the area.
Majcher said she wanted to go across the street to the girl but she was afraid of the dog, and she dialed 911 immediately.
"After the police arrived, the dog ran down the street and then I saw him coming and yelled, 'He's coming back.' That's when they shot him," Majcher said.
Pottsville Police Capt. Ronald Moser said only one officer fired his gun at the scene.
Because shots were fired, the officer, whose name was not released, must complete a written report for the police chief. He also must give a verbal report to his immediate supervisor and those reports will be reviewed by Chief Joseph H. Murton V.
"I can say because I was on the scene, there was nothing else that could have been done," Moser said.
The dog was transported to a veterinary hospital where rabies tests will be performed.
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| "The cops tasered it three times and it didn't affect him," said Collin Atkinson. "They shot it once and it turned around and ran right through that alley and that's where they euthanized it." |
City health and animal control officer Frank Spleen said the dog's name was London and he appeared to be a full-bred pit bull. He did not know the dog's age.
He also said he has not received any previous reports about the dog showing aggressive behavior, and he believes the dog just went crazy.
"It was probably a good family dog. It was just his day to snap," Spleen said at the scene.
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| Frank Spleen, Pottsville health and animal control officer, talks about a dog that attacked three children |
"In my opinion, a lot of it comes from breeding these dogs too close with the family gene," Spleen said. "I've seen this before. They are good dogs and then they turn a couple of years old and they turn on their owners or anybody.
"It's not just pit bulls. I've seen breeders breeding all types too close - cocker spaniels, Dalmatians, St. Bernards. People see them in movies and they want them and breeders overbreed them. You really have to watch the breeder. I've watched it through the years. Now all of a sudden, all I'm seeing are baby pit bulls."
(Republican Herald - June 23, 2011)
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