Texas: Family convinced by shelter to adopt Bull Mastiff, it attacks their child within 10 days. Then they find out that the dog had attacked before and are angry that they weren't told - and that the dog was even put up for adoption in the first place

TEXAS -- The City's Animal Control is investigating a case of a dog bite involving an animal that was brought in by its original owners and then, soon after, adopted out to a new family.

That new family now says they weren't told the dog had a history of biting.

The family said they adopted a three-year old bull mastiff about 10 days ago. They knew the dog's previous owners and were aware of some of its history, but on Wednesday night, the dog bit a child on the hand and then again on his head.

The family believes the dog should have never been adopted out knowing its demeanor.

"We have a duty to the citizens, but we weren't given proper information to begin with," said Heather Hedrick, program manager for Animal Care Services.

The director of Animal Control said there are state regulations that dictate how long dogs suspected of biting are required to be held, and would have never allowed the dog to be adopted out had she known the dog's history of biting.

"What limited information that we had was not conducive that the dog needed to be quarantined," Hedrick said.

So what should prospective adoptive pet owners know before taking on a new pet? Make sure you are prepared for the breed of dog you are about to adopt. Simply put, do your homework.

(KIII - July 25, 2013)