Madison Mason was running in her backyard in Nashville on June 4 when she startled the dog and he bit her on both sides of her head. She suffered serious injuries to her head and right ear and sought treatment at Shriners Hospital in Cincinnati.
Madison received four surgeries last week and her father, Tim Mason, said she is doing much better.
Her eyes, once swollen shut, are looking normal again, Tim said Sunday.
Tim even shaved his head to make his daughter feel more comfortable after her head had to be shaved for treatment.
“’Daddy, do I still have my hair?’” Tim said his daughter asked. “And their answer was ‘no.’ They had to shave her head and she just started squalling.”
The retired Nashville homicide detective said he went to a Cincinnati barber and now shares the same haircut as his little girl.
Through the past week of struggles, Tim said Shriners Hospital has been accommodating and helpful.
“I knew to come here, that this is the place for the best possible care,” he said. “They not only care for my daughter, they are caring for my wife and I as well.”
Tim said he doesn’t blame the dog for biting Madison and they had never problems with it in the past. In fact, the dog was Madison’s protector, he said. But the family has removed the dog from their home.
[There is a state law in Tennessee which says a dog which has caused "serious bodily injury" to a person can be forcibly taken from its owners and euthanized. Instead of doing the right thing and having their pet - voluntarily - put down, they say they gave it back to the 'trainer' they purchased it from.
Exactly who is this person? What credentials does s/he have? What other pets, children and adults will be in danger when this person sells this dog to someone else in another community?]
(WCPO - June 10, 2013)
