A four-year-old girl recently suffered serious leg injuries in a dog bite attack, caused by a dog that was in the care of a professional dog walker at the time. The incident occurred in Santa Monica, and the dog walker has already been charged in the incident.
Law-enforcement authorities in Santa Monica have charged the dog walker with child endangerment. The incident occurred when the dog, a Staffordshire Terrier, bit the girl inside a home. The dog walker was with the dog inside the home at the time of the attack. According to the Santa Monica Police Department, the child suffered injuries to her legs, and required stitches.
According to police, the owner of the dog had made it very clear to the dog walker that the dog had a fear of little children, and could sometimes be very aggressive towards children. The owner had also informed the dog walker to always have the animal muzzled, and kept on a leash because of this very problem. However, at the time of the attack, the dog was not muzzled, nor on a leash.The owner of the dog also claims to have specifically given instructions to the dog walker to not have anyone other than residents and employees in the house.
This is the more recent in a series of high-profile dog bite-related incidents that have occurred in California in recent months. In September, a toddler died after a severe dog attack involving several pit bulls. In May, an elderly woman was also killed after being attacked by a pack of pit bulls. All of these incidents have spurred local city agencies into action. Recently in Riverside County, supervisors voted for an ordinance, under which pit bulls in incorporated neighborhoods would have to be spayed or neutered.