"We were outside playing, me and the kids, and little dog, Todd. They were making a ruckus with the neighbor dog, running back and forth, playing I guess," Jessica Stettler remembered.
Stettler said she took Tod inside, then heard the children say the the black and white pit bull had jumped the fence. She said after she got the children inside, she calmly talked to the dog, saying, "Just jump back over the fence ... I know you can."
The dog approached, started smelling her pants, then began biting her leg, eventually pulling her to the ground.
"As soon as he did, he started going at me here (face), and I put my arm up," Stettler said.
Her uncles heard the commotion and came running. When they called for help, the St. Marys police arrived, but animal control did not, saying it was because the dog's owners were not home at the time.
"I said, 'Wait a minute, that's not right,'" said Stettler's father, Bill. "The police are here. The dog is here. It's not contained. Yeah, it's in a fence. but it's a fence the dog can easily jump over, and just did."
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| Animal Control refused to follow protocol and seize a bite dog, that clearly could escape and bite more people |
Bill Stettler took his daughter to the emergency room, where she was treated and released for wounds to the foot, leg, and arm. She's also emotionally wounded because she loves all animals, even pit bulls.
"l always tell people, a pit bull, they're not bad dogs. Just depends on how they're raised," Jessica Steller said. "I don't know [now], it's surreal."
(News4Jax - Nov 26 2011)
