The mother of the victim, Heather Fowler, says her daughter has been traumatized and that the dogs need to be contained before someone else gets hurt. Fowler told NBC40, "There's no way to explain the feeling I was going through. It was horrifying - to see your baby go through that...it's terrible."
On Monday June 3rd, Middle Township Police responded to Vermont Avenue in Rio Grande for a report of a child who had suffered a bite from a pit bull. Fowler says she watched in horror as her neighbor's pit bull escaped from its yard and viciously attacked her daughter. Fowler explained, "As soon as she stepped into the grass area, the pit came from the side and attacked her."
Neighbor to the victim and eye witness to the attack, Thomas McMenamin, said, "When we started pulling the dog off, the police came...it was a mess."
On scene, the investigating officer was also attacked by the dog. The officer fired her weapon and missed the dog, but it was scared off.
Both the victim, Brianna Fowler, and the officer were taken to Cape Regional Medical Center for minor injuries.
"She's okay right now but at the time it was terrifying," said Heather Fowler.
Neighbors say they want somebody to take responsibility for the dogs because a broken fence is the only thing keeping the pit bulls from running loose in the neighborhood.
McMenamin said, "I mean these dogs have had this problem in the past. If it was a one time incident it'd be one thing, but this is an ongoing problem and nobody's taking control to fix it." Heather Fowler told NBC40, "I wouldn't want anyone to see their animals being taken away, but I want them to be in an area where they can't get out - where they can't attack anybody."
Neighbors to the victim say the dog was seized but has since been returned to the owner - who was not willing to comment on the incident.
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| The owner, who stalked around giving dirty looks to the victim's mom |
The dog's owner already faces two charges related to the incident, and could face more, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Friend to the victim's family, Colleen McMenamin said, "She's going to have a scar on her leg for the rest of her life - but we're thankful it's just her leg." Thomas McMenamin explained, "I would really like to see it taken care of once and for all. Get the city involved with this and really make them clean that place up and take care of those dogs so they don't get loose and really, really hurt somebody. It's just a matter of time."
Middle Township Police were not available for comment on the attack.
(NBC40 - June 8, 2013)
