MICHIGAN -- A West Michigan mother, whose 13-year-old daughter survived a vicious pit bull attack which led to hours of reconstructive surgery, now wants the dog put down.
The family tells us they are dog lovers, and they even own and breed pit bulls.
My sympathy (for the parents, not the child) ends here. They're part of the problem.
According to their GoFundMe page, they're homeless and jobless. How can they be breeding pit bulls if they don't have anywhere to live?
Tonight, they say they blame the owners--and not the dog for the attack.
Keisha Howell says these deep lacerations and bloodied scars tell the story of what happened when a neighbor's pit bull latched onto her daughter Jakiah's face.
"She tried to pet the dog and the dog jumped up and bit her. All the other kids were used to playing with the dog but the dog was running around loose," Howell said.
Howell rushed to her daughter's aid after she got a panicked call on Friday evening about a pit bull attacking her daughter.
"She was in shock, I'm sitting there crying. I mean her lip! She even tried to smile but her lip was just busted wide open," Howell said.
The furious mother says the neighbors should have kept a closer eye on their pit bull.
"I just started yelling, control your dog why don't you know your dog. Why did you guys let your dog hurt my child like this," she said.
Bleeding profusely, the 13-year-old was taken by ambulance--the next few hours--a blur of exams, stitches, and shots.
"The pit bull had torn muscles in her cheeks and in her mouth from this side and a nerve because the pit bull but all the way through, so it tore a muscle and a nerve where she could not feel anything," said Howell.
And two days after the attack, unsure what happened to the dog, Howell learned police removed the dog from the home.
"This morning, once I got into work, we declared the dog as vicious and the dog was picked up and taken to our animal holding facility," said Albion Police Chief Scott Kipp.
On Monday, the 7th grader's face appears to be healing from the outside but on the inside, things are remain unsettled for Howell.
"I say it's the owners fault, not the dogs fault, because you should know your dog or put the time in to know your dog if you have new people around, and you are allowing them to be in your yard," Howell said.
The teen says despite what she went through she is still a dog lover.
Police say the dog's owners have the option of signing off on the dog and putting it down or getting liability insurance for their pit.
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses.
State representative Jon Hoadley introduced a new bill that would put dogs that bite, or dogs with a violent history on a dangerous dog registry.
He also wants to hold their owners accountable for injuries or damages caused by dog bites.
From her GoFundMe page: My daughter Jakiah 13 has had plastic surgery and over 200 stitches on her face after being attacked by a vicious Pit bull. I need any kind of help with medical bills due to the fact I am a single mother of 6 children currently homeless and out of work, I am going through a divorce and have no funds for transportation or the bills if you can find it in your heart to help in anyway it will be so greatly appreciated
(WWMT - Sept 29, 2016)
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