Two children, two adults injured in dog attack

GEORGIA -- Two children walking with their father in a Douglas County neighborhood were attacked and mauled by two dogs Saturday afternoon.

Douglas County Sheriff's Office Inv. Trent Wilson said a boxer and a pit bull terrier were able to escape through an unlocked storm door and get to the children as they walked along Greenbrook Drive in the Welham Green subdivision. Wilson said the call came in just before 1 p.m.

 

"Apparently, there is a storm door that when locked the dogs are secured, but in this case it wasn't locked and they've learned to get on there hind legs and pull down to open the door," Wilson said.

"That's what they did and they jumped on the boys and knocked them to the ground."

The father struggled to get the dogs off his children ages 3 and 5, but not until a neighbor, Tony Wages came to help were they able to escape the attack.

 

"My daughter said there was a dog attacking these kids. those kids," Wages said. "So I ran to the 5-year-old because nobody was there and the kid was crying.he kind of fell down on his back and all and the dog just nailed him. I tried to pull him off but he just wouldn't do it.

"So what I did was reach down and grab underneath and just squeezed his windpipe as hard as I could and he let go. Of course I fell down and the dog came around and he just nailed me and I mean he hurt..Then the owner came and got the dog and everyone was just crying – everyone was crying."

 

 

While some would say Wages was a hero, he said he just reacted.

"Any decent human being would have done what I done – I got the dog off the little boy." Wages said.

The children and their father were taken to Eggleston for treatment for injuries that were said not to be life-threatening. The 3-year-old was wounded on the face, back and back of the head, while the 5-year-old was injured on the left leg and back. The father's wounds weer said to be superficial.

Wages was treated and released from WellStar Douglas Hospital. He said he got a tetanus shot but did not require any stitches.

 

Wilson said that the dogs were impounded by animal control and the family was issued a number of citations. He said the incident remains under investigation.

Saturday evening the dogs were being held at the Douglas County Animal Shelter. They will be held for observation and checks will be made to make sure that vaccinations are current and that there are no signs of rabies.

Wilson said he was unaware of any other incidents involving these dogs, but said with summer coming, pet owners need to be extra careful.

(Douglas County Sentinel - May 18, 2013)