Elijah was playing in the neighbors' yard on Lorie Lane Saturday when their pit bull mix got out of the gate and attacked the first-grader, leaving 13 bites on his face, neck and the back of his head that required 45 stitches. A nerve in Elijah's face was severed, causing slight paralysis.
"My son ran to get away from him, and the dog mauled him," said his father, Steven Memolo. "The neighbors broke it up.
"My son came walking in the door, crying, and he was bleeding, covered in blood. I turned around, and his face has big, huge gouges in it where this dog has ripped him to pieces," Memolo said.
"I went outside thinking there's some random stray dog, and there was my neighbor holding this pit bull standing on two legs bigger than I am."
Elijah was taken to Gateway, then transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
"This was an attack to kill," Memolo said. "They thought he had broken his neck from the dog ripping him around."
First-time bite
When police responded to the Memolos' north Clarksville home, the neighbor and dog owner said her son and Elijah were playing when her son came and told her the dog had bitten Elijah.
Memolo said he isn't sure what led to the attack, but the pet owner and Animal Control believe Elijah may have opened the gate.
The gate had a latch but was not locked, the report said. There were no beware-of-dog signs on the property.
Memolo said there had never been a problem with the dog before, and Animal Control said Elijah was the first reported bite.
The dog owner wasn't available for comment Monday when a reporter visited the home.
The owner relinquished her rights, because she didn't want the dog to bite anyone else, said Animal Control Officer "Ace" McKenzie. The dog cannot be adopted out because it has bitten someone, and Animal Control doesn't put pit bulls up for adoption.
The dog will undergo a 10-day quarantine, after which a rabies test will be conducted and the dog will be euthanized. The dog was up to date on rabies shots.
Call for tougher laws
Memolo said the laws on dog bites need to be changed.
"This is not even a criminal law — it's a civil issue," he said. "If someone was driving under the influence and smashed into your car, mauling your child, do you think they should get a second chance or a slap on the wrist? No.
"Pet owners need to be responsible for their dogs. If the owner didn't give up her rights, the dog would still be next door."
Elijah continues to heal at home. He cannot be in direct sunlight for a year and he will be out of school until the stitches come out Friday.
Memolo said Elijah once wanted a dog. He says he still does, but one that "doesn't bite."
Despite the ordeal, 6-year-old Elijah still smiles.
"I missed the rest of my Titans-Vikings football game. I wanted to know who won."
(The Tennessean - August 16, 2011)
