Teh One Who Knocks
05-09-2012, 12:00 PM
By Brian Fraga - Las Cruces Sun-News
LAS CRUCES — A 16-month-old child died Tuesday after being mauled by her family dog, a 2-year-old pit bull, in the backyard of her grandparents' house on the 800 block of Stone Canyon Drive.
The girl's 52-year-old grandmother was also accidentally shot in the leg by a neighbor who tried to stop the pit bull from attacking her and the child. The neighbor followed the dog and fatally shot it near the side of the house, police said.
The toddler and her grandmother were transported to an El Paso hospital. The child received multiple wounds to her head and chest, and was pronounced dead Tuesday afternoon, LCPD spokesman Dan Trujillo said.
The grandmother is recovering from her gunshot wound, said Trujillo, who did not release the victims' names Tuesday.
The girl's relatives did not want to talk to reporters outside the grandparents' home Tuesday. The house at 819 Stone Canyon Drive is owned by Arthur and Leticia Mesa, according to the Doña Ana County Assessor's Office.
The toddler appeared to have been left alone with the dog in the backyard, said Dr. Beth Vesco-Mock, director of the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley.
"That is just not appropriate. Young children need to be supervised when they're around pets," said Vesco-Mock, who said that dogs can react, sometimes negatively, when children make sudden movements or behaviors around them.
"It does not mean the dog is vicious, or a bad dog; there is no such thing as a
bad dog, but you have to be responsible with your children," Vesco-Mock said.
Animal Control officers took the pit bull to the Animal Service Center of the Mesilla Valley. The dog will be transported to Albuquerque for a necropsy, or post-mortem exam, Trujillo said.
Tuesday's attack marked the second deadly pit bull attack in less than a week in New Mexico. Santa Fe police are investigating the May 2 death of a 74-year-old man who had been reportedly attacked by his own pit bull.
Pit bull attacks have prompted calls for breed-specific legislation across the country, but animal control officials, including Vesco-Mock, say that unfairly targets the breed.
"It's not a dog issue. It's not a pit bull issue. It's a responsibility issue. When you get these dogs, you must train them and supervise them, especially when they're around children, at all times," Vesco-Mock said.
Trujillo said Tuesday that there had not been any prior reports of aggression filed with Animal Control regarding the pit bull.
Police also did not file any criminal charges Tuesday, but detectives are still investigating the incident.
On Tuesday, neighbors said they heard six to eight gunshots just before 11:30 a.m. Police said a 69-year-old neighbor heard cries for help from the child's grandmother, who tried to intervene after the pit bull attacked the little girl in the backyard, police said.
The neighbor retrieved a .45-caliber handgun from his house, called 911 and went to help the girl and her grandmother. He fired several rounds, one of which struck the grandmother's leg, before killing the dog, police said.
Chris Wollard, a neighbor, heard what sounded like a commotion and gunshots about 100 yards away from his house.
"It sounded like birds fighting, and then I heard these loud noises. It sounded like something falling against concrete," said Wollard, who was taking his dogs outside in his backyard at the time.
Wollard ran over to help. He looked into the backyard on Stone Canyon Drive, at first saw nothing, and then heard someone calling for help. He then found the child and a woman hiding underneath a trampoline in the backyard.
Wollard, a respiratory therapist, took the child from the woman, who was visibly upset, to the front of the house, laid her down on the sidewalk and gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until paramedics arrived moments later.
Wollard said the girl's breathing was shallow, and she was fading in and out of consciousness. The child was also badly wounded and had several bite marks.
The toddler stopped breathing just before Wollard said he began performing CPR.
"She was in pretty bad shape," Wollard said.
Las Cruces fire and rescue personnel arrived and provided emergency first aid to the toddler and grandmother before rushing them to the hospital.
Police detectives interviewed neighbors and Animal Control officers were also at the scene gathering evidence.
LAS CRUCES — A 16-month-old child died Tuesday after being mauled by her family dog, a 2-year-old pit bull, in the backyard of her grandparents' house on the 800 block of Stone Canyon Drive.
The girl's 52-year-old grandmother was also accidentally shot in the leg by a neighbor who tried to stop the pit bull from attacking her and the child. The neighbor followed the dog and fatally shot it near the side of the house, police said.
The toddler and her grandmother were transported to an El Paso hospital. The child received multiple wounds to her head and chest, and was pronounced dead Tuesday afternoon, LCPD spokesman Dan Trujillo said.
The grandmother is recovering from her gunshot wound, said Trujillo, who did not release the victims' names Tuesday.
The girl's relatives did not want to talk to reporters outside the grandparents' home Tuesday. The house at 819 Stone Canyon Drive is owned by Arthur and Leticia Mesa, according to the Doña Ana County Assessor's Office.
The toddler appeared to have been left alone with the dog in the backyard, said Dr. Beth Vesco-Mock, director of the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley.
"That is just not appropriate. Young children need to be supervised when they're around pets," said Vesco-Mock, who said that dogs can react, sometimes negatively, when children make sudden movements or behaviors around them.
"It does not mean the dog is vicious, or a bad dog; there is no such thing as a
bad dog, but you have to be responsible with your children," Vesco-Mock said.
Animal Control officers took the pit bull to the Animal Service Center of the Mesilla Valley. The dog will be transported to Albuquerque for a necropsy, or post-mortem exam, Trujillo said.
Tuesday's attack marked the second deadly pit bull attack in less than a week in New Mexico. Santa Fe police are investigating the May 2 death of a 74-year-old man who had been reportedly attacked by his own pit bull.
Pit bull attacks have prompted calls for breed-specific legislation across the country, but animal control officials, including Vesco-Mock, say that unfairly targets the breed.
"It's not a dog issue. It's not a pit bull issue. It's a responsibility issue. When you get these dogs, you must train them and supervise them, especially when they're around children, at all times," Vesco-Mock said.
Trujillo said Tuesday that there had not been any prior reports of aggression filed with Animal Control regarding the pit bull.
Police also did not file any criminal charges Tuesday, but detectives are still investigating the incident.
On Tuesday, neighbors said they heard six to eight gunshots just before 11:30 a.m. Police said a 69-year-old neighbor heard cries for help from the child's grandmother, who tried to intervene after the pit bull attacked the little girl in the backyard, police said.
The neighbor retrieved a .45-caliber handgun from his house, called 911 and went to help the girl and her grandmother. He fired several rounds, one of which struck the grandmother's leg, before killing the dog, police said.
Chris Wollard, a neighbor, heard what sounded like a commotion and gunshots about 100 yards away from his house.
"It sounded like birds fighting, and then I heard these loud noises. It sounded like something falling against concrete," said Wollard, who was taking his dogs outside in his backyard at the time.
Wollard ran over to help. He looked into the backyard on Stone Canyon Drive, at first saw nothing, and then heard someone calling for help. He then found the child and a woman hiding underneath a trampoline in the backyard.
Wollard, a respiratory therapist, took the child from the woman, who was visibly upset, to the front of the house, laid her down on the sidewalk and gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until paramedics arrived moments later.
Wollard said the girl's breathing was shallow, and she was fading in and out of consciousness. The child was also badly wounded and had several bite marks.
The toddler stopped breathing just before Wollard said he began performing CPR.
"She was in pretty bad shape," Wollard said.
Las Cruces fire and rescue personnel arrived and provided emergency first aid to the toddler and grandmother before rushing them to the hospital.
Police detectives interviewed neighbors and Animal Control officers were also at the scene gathering evidence.