Girl Recovers from Vicious Pit Bull Attack

CALIFORNIA -- It was a terrifying attack for a family walking on the sidewalk. A vicious dog attacked them, seriously hurting a 9-year-old girl.

Cassandra Bautista

Now that girl, Cassandra, is recovering.  And her family wants to thank the people that helped them.

Cassandra's mother, Arlene Bautista describes the attack. "I saw her throw herself on the floor, and my first instinct was the dog was going to turn around and bite her all over, but she was really brave to kick her in the face and she actually got up and started running."

Cassandra is now walking with crutches, but can't put any weight on her foot because of the gruesome bite.

"I saw the wound and you could literally see her bone," said Bautista.

The pit bull mix attacked them two weeks ago.  Officers say they shot the dog after it attacked them on this street when they arrived.

Cassandra, her mom, and her cousin Vivianna were taking an evening walk on the sidewalk when the dog attacked. "I pointed at my cut and then Vivi was calling my name, and then my mom, and then I was calling Vivi's, and then I ran to Vivi," said Cassandra Bautista.

Her cousin, Vivianna Reyes said it was, "Very scary, it's like because that was the first time it happened to me, it's really scary." Vivianna ran to a restaurant for help.

"When we walked into the restaurant, everybody started screaming, and I looked down, and I saw gushes of blood," said Bautista.

Cassandra's mom say the restaurant employees rushed to help. "I want to thank Taquiera Guerroros who helped us and who stopped everything they were doing from cooks to waitresses, to busboys, that ran out of the building to help my niece."

Her niece, Vivianna, was also bitten, but not as badly. Vivianna's father, Randy Reyes, says the past two weeks have been very difficult. "It's taken a toll on the whole family in general, seeing the financial strain that this has put on my sister and brother-in-law."

And no owner has taken responsibility for the dog. "And that is a sad thing, that we haven't found the owner, no one's going to be held responsible for what happened," said Reyes.

Cassandra can't return to her school until November because of her injury... but her school made her a special basket. "I would like to say thank you for everybody that helped us, and I'd like to say thank you to my school for making me a basket," said Cassandra. Cassandra wants to return to the fourth grade just as soon as she can.

(KMIR - Sept 9, 2011)