Investigators said the girl was putting on her coat to leave a home in the 7200 block of Conley Street when the dog jumped up and attacked her out of nowhere.
Neighbors watched as a Medevac rushed to get the girl to the Johns Hospitals Children's Center, where she is expected to survive. Thomas Minkowsky was one of those neighbors.
"Everybody was in a panic, in shock. It was hard," he said.
Mark Southard told 11 News he and his wife own the dog, a 1-year-old pit bull beagle mix named Raven.
Southard said he was upstairs during the attack and that he just had surgery so he couldn't get downstairs right away.
"The baby's uncle was right there. He just grabbed the dog instantly and got her away, and it stopped as quickly as it happened," Southard said.
He said the child had a bite on her face near her eye. He said she and her mother are friends of the family who had stopped by for a visit. He said they don't come by often, so the dog was not familiar with the child.
"We have other children that come over all the time. There are children that are around her, and she's fine with them," Southard said of the dog.
He said he's raised pit bulls for 10 years and that he's never had problems with Raven or any dog biting anyone before, but he said Raven sometimes has acted aggressively.
"We knew she had issues with smaller children until she got to know them. Evidently we know her issues are bad now," Southard said.
That's why he said they plan to give her up. She's been at Baltimore County Animal Control since the attack.
"It's not worth keeping a dog that may attack a child or has attacked a child, or may attack another one. It's not worth it to me," Southard said. "I'm so sorry. I wish this didn't happen at all. It's all about the baby right now."
Officials are still deciding what to do with the dog and whether any charges will be filed against Southard.
(WBAL - Mar 11, 2013)
