A Rottweiler got loose from a fenced area near Parham and Anglin roads in Griffin on Wednesday and attacked a girl, leaving her badly hurt enough that she had to be flown to a hospital. A young man who rushed to help her was also injured during the attack. Animal Control tracked down the dog shortly afterward, and it remains in county custody.
According to a statement from county officials
, the girl, described as 13 years old, was attacked by the escaped Rottweiler in Griffin, located in Spalding County.
Fox 5 Atlanta
likewise reported that a 13-year-old girl was airlifted to a hospital Wednesday after the attack, while
WSB-TV
described the victim as a 14-year-old girl who was recovering after the attack and seriously injured. The discrepancy in her reported age has not been resolved across the available accounts.
Wellstar AirCare flew the girl to a hospital for treatment, per county officials, and WSB-TV reported she was flown to Arthur M. Blank Hospital. Animal control officers were called to the area of Parham Road and Anglin Road, the same station reported, matching the location where officials say the dog slipped its fence.
Bystander Hurt Trying to Pull the Dog Off
County officials say a young man witnessed the attack and intervened to protect the girl, sustaining injuries in the process. He was transported to a hospital for treatment of injuries initially described as minor. A separate WSB-TV report on the incident described a bus driver who helped fight the dog off a girl and was bitten himself during the struggle, though it has not been established whether the bus driver and the young man described by county officials are the same person.
Spalding County's response, relayed through the seed statement, credits the bystander for stepping into danger. Dr. Steve Ledbetter commended the bystander for risking his own safety and said the county is “especially grateful to the young man who placed himself in harm's way to help the girl.” He added that “our thoughts and concern are with them and their families,” and separately described the incident as a frightening and deeply concerning ordeal.
Names Withheld, Injuries Still Unclear
Officials have not released the names of the girl, the young man who intervened, or the dog's owner, according to county officials. That account conflicts with a separate WSB-TV report naming the victim as 14-year-old Alexis Johnson, who the station said was waiting for the school bus along Anglin Road with her 12-year-old brother when the attack happened. Authorities have also not received verified information regarding the full extent of either the girl's or the young man's injuries or medical conditions, per county officials.
Animal Control found and captured the Rottweiler shortly after the incident, and the dog remains in county custody, officials said. Accounts differ on what comes next for the dog's owner: one version of the county's statement says the owner will face charges, while officials have also indicated that specific charges against the owner have not been finalized.
A Pattern of Serious Dog Attacks in Georgia
The Griffin case follows another serious dog attack elsewhere in Georgia last month, when an 11-year-old boy was mauled by three dogs near Wood Duck Road in Axson on Sept. 13, according to WALB, which reported that a teammate's intervention reportedly saved the boy's life. As in Griffin, that incident involved a bystander stepping in to pull dogs off a young victim.
For now, the Griffin case remains under review, with the dog's custody status confirmed but its ultimate disposition, the full scope of injuries to both victims, and the owner's legal exposure all still unresolved according to the available statements from county officials.
