The girl - her mother identified her as Jaylynn Sapien - was listed Friday in stable condition at University Medical Center in El Paso, and was expected to make a full recovery, said Kelly Jameson, a spokeswoman for the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office.
The dog, a black and gray male blue heeler said to be between 3 and 4 years old, is being held for 10 days in rabies quarantine at the Animal Service Center of the Mesilla Valley, per New Mexico law, Jameson said.
After the 10 days, the dog will be destroyed because its owner, the girl's father, surrendered ownership. The dog is not considered to be adoptable, Jameson said.
Doña Ana County Animal Control officers received a call around 1 a.m. Friday of the attack occurring on the 411 block of Stryker Road, located off Carver Road, south of Las Cruces, Jameson said.
The girl's father told officers that the attack happened between 11:30 p.m. Thursday and midnight while his family was preparing for a camping trip, Jameson said.
The father said he went to check the air on his camper's tires when the girl went inside the trailer, which was were the blue heeler was being kept. When the girl touched the dog's head, the blue heeler bit her on the right side of her face, Jameson said.
Jaylynn suffered injuries to right right side of her face, her eye, cheek and ear. Sheriff's spokeswoman Kelly Jameson told ABC-7 the child had surgery to re-attach her ear.
The girl's father told officers that he had owned the blue heeler since it was a puppy. Jameson said animal control officers do not yet know if the dog has a history of aggression.
"That's part of the investigation," Jameson said. who added that family members are still being interviewed. She said she was not sure if any charges will be filed.
The girl's mother, Maria Tovar, who is separated from the father, said she understood that the dog may have previously shown aggression at other dogs, and growled at her daughter before the mauling.
Tovar said her daughter sustained serious lacerations to the left side of her face.
(Las Cruces Sun - Sept 15, 2012)
