A baby and her mother were hospitalized Friday evening after a dog attack at an apartment complex in Dania Beach, according to officials. Two dogs have since been taken into custody in connection with the attack.
Broward County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to an animal-bite call around 6:30 p.m. at the Koosh Living apartments near Southwest 28th Avenue and Griffin Road, according to local10.com. Investigators said the dogs had been located, and Broward County Animal Care was called to the scene, the outlet reported. A follow-up report from WPLG Local 10 identified two dogs as having been taken into custody after the attack, though the initial report noted that how many dogs were actually involved was not immediately clear.
Victims Drove Themselves to the Hospital
Rather than wait for emergency responders to transport them, the mother and child got themselves to care. Per wsvn.com, the victims drove themselves to an area hospital for treatment following the attack. That same report noted that the severity of the two's injuries was unclear.
The circumstances surrounding the bite call, including exactly how the attack unfolded, have not been detailed in official statements so far. Local10.com's initial report also said the ages of those involved were not immediately clear beyond the descriptions of a baby and her mother.
Not the First Dania Beach Dog Attack
This is not the only dog attack to hit Dania Beach in recent memory. In a separate case, a family pit bull attacked a 13-month-old child inside a Dania Beach home while the child was playing, according to a report from nbcmiami.com. In that incident, animal control took the dog into custody and the child was taken to a Hollywood hospital with serious injuries, per the same outlet.
A different attack in nearby Deerfield Beach in January 2025 involved three dogs, one of which was shot by deputies, with all three dogs ultimately placed in animal care's custody, nbcmiami.com reported at the time. That case remains a lower-confidence data point in the broader pattern of dog-attack incidents across Broward County, but it underscores that multi-dog attacks and animal custody actions are not unprecedented in the area.
What Florida Law Says About Dog Bites
Florida law generally holds dog owners liable when their animal bites or attacks a person, but there are exceptions. Under the statute maintained by the Florida Legislature, an owner is not guilty of any crime specified under that section when the person who was attacked or bitten was engaged in or attempting to engage in criminal activity at the time. It remains unknown whether that provision has any bearing on the Dania Beach case, and no official Broward County Sheriff's Office or Broward County Animal Care statement addressing liability has been released.
As of now, the dogs' breed, ownership, and vaccination status in the Dania Beach case have not been disclosed, nor has it been confirmed whether any citations or charges will follow. Broward County Animal Care's involvement suggests the investigation into the attack is ongoing.
