Dog attacks toddler, grandmother in Terry

MISSISSIPPI -- A Great Dane - Bulldog mix attacked a toddler and his grandmother Wednesday night in Terry.

The dog attacked as Vickie Taylor was getting 20-month-old Maddox out of the car. She sustained injuries to her arms and right leg, Hinds County Sheriff's Department spokesman Othor Cain said.

The extent of the child's injuries is unknown.

Both were taken to University of Mississippi Medical Center, where Mississippi Animal Rescue League Director Debra Boswell said the child underwent surgery.

received the dog from Animal Control Wednesday night. The dog, described by Boswell as a "bandog," was put down on Thursday.

The family had recently adopted the dog -- formerly a stray -- from a shelter one month prior.

The state has seen several attacks by dogs on children this year. Victoria Wilcher, 4, was mauled by three pit bulls in Simpson County on April 9. Her story made national headlines after her family was reportedly turned away from a restaurant. In June, a 5-year-old from Jackson was bitten several times by a pit bull.

"We see so many of these dog bite cases that involve children, and it's absolutely heartbreaking," Boswell said, noting that non-neutered male dogs like the one in the Terry attack are responsible for 80 percent of the dog bite cases they see.

(Jackson Clarion Ledger - Dec 5, 2014)