A two-year-old girl in LaPlace is recovering in a New Orleans hospital after a pit bull attack inside her home left her with lacerations on the left side of her neck, face and chest, according to authorities. She was taken to the hospital on Monday and is listed in stable condition.
Deputies and firefighters were called to the 300 block of Cottage Court around 2:57 p.m. Monday, the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office told WDSU. The girl's father said he had just seen her eating popcorn in the dining room before she went into a bedroom. Moments later, he heard a scream and rushed in to find the dog biting her.
He told deputies he believes the pit bull got into the room from the rear yard by slipping through a partition in a window air-conditioning unit. A wooden board that had been serving as a barrier may have been removed, he said.
Young Children Face Higher Risk of Severe Bites
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 4.5 million dog bites occur in the United States every year, and many of those involve children, according to the CDC. Younger kids are more likely to be bitten on the head, face or neck, injuries that often mean more serious medical treatment and, in many cases, surgery or specialized care.
Investigation and Next Steps
The case has been turned over to the state's Child Protective Services and St. John Parish Animal Control, WDSU reports. In situations like this, animal-control officers typically take custody of the dog involved in a serious bite to review vaccination records and decide whether quarantine or other measures are needed while investigators look into what happened.
How Parents Can Reduce Risk
Public health guidance continues to stress the basics: closely supervise children around dogs, never leave infants or toddlers alone with any dog and avoid situations that might corner, startle or frustrate an animal, such as leaning into a window unit or reaching into a fenced yard. A systematic review of pediatric dog-bite injuries published in PubMed Central highlights prevention strategies that include training and containment of dogs, responsible ownership and teaching children how to interact safely with animals.
