Fresno Dispatchers and Police Raise Money for Injured Toddler

FRESNO, CA -- The people who answer your call for help step up for a little girl who was attacked by a dog.

Two-year-old Liliana Armenta was mauled by a neighbors’ dog.

Part of her scalp was torn off and the bite was dangerously close to her left eye.

The injuries were so bad she was airlifted to a hospital in San Francisco and spent a week there.

The Fresno Police Department answered the 911 call and sent officers to the house. Dispatchers, police officers, and crime scene technicians were so shocked by the severity of the attack they started a collection drive and raised more than 300-dollars for Liliana and her mother.

Fresno police dispatcher Trisha Nichols said “One of the dispatchers said ‘This is crazy! You need to do something. WE need to do something. How do we start something? Should we do it on our own? What do we do?’ And literally that’s how it started,” Nichols said.

Liliana’s mother was overwhelmed by the generosity. “As far as me knowing there are people that do care, I know it now. I am grateful for their help,” Selena Armenta, Liliana’s mother, said.

If you would like to contribute to Liliana’s medical expenses, donations can be sent to: Fresno Police Department, Communications Center, Attn: Trisha Nichols, “Lily Fund”, Fresno, CA 93721.

The dog that bit Liliana was euthanized by the S.P.C.A.

The S.P.C.A. says in most dog bite cases, the dogs have not been spayed or neutered.

(cbs47 - August 11, 2011)