Girl injured in dog attack

Girl injured in dog attack

Posted on: 12:23 pm, July 28, 2013, by Caroline Connolly and Mark Green, updated on: 06:21am, July 29, 2013

CLEARFIELD, Utah — A young girl from South Ogden was injured after she was attacked by a dog while visiting Clearfield Sunday.

Police responded to the area near 2200 South 300 West Sunday on reports a 5-year-old girl had been attacked by a husky at about 8:20 a.m., according to the Clearfield Police Department.

Authorities said the girl’s uncle heard her screaming, and he came outside to see the dog pulling the girl over a fence, which is about 3 feet tall. The dog, a 3-year-old husky, had the girl by the throat, and the girl’s uncle said the dog was shaking and dragging the girl around the yard. The uncle immediately jumped into the neighbor’s yard to rescue the girl, at which time the dog released the girl and retreated.

Curtis Thomas lives in the neighborhood, and he said he ran outside when he heard the screams.

“It was a real bad cut, right on the neck,” he said of the girl’s injuries. “It made me terrified. All I could think of was it could have been one of my kids.”

The girl was taken to Davis Hospital, where she was then airlifted to Primary Children’s Medical Center. She was initially listed in critical condition, but is expected to make a full recovery.

Davis County Animal Care and Control took custody of the dog shortly after the attack. Executive Director Clinton Thacker said the animal was later euthanized, per the request of the owner.

“This was very, very extreme, and our hearts go out to the family who had this happen,” Thacker said. “To go this far, is very, very not characteristic of any dog to go that far.”

While Thacker concedes the nature of Huskies is to be slightly more territorial, the behavior is highly unusual and should serve as a reminder to the public.

“Any dog will bite, at any given time,” Thacker said. “We tell children and adults, ‘Do not touch animals that you do not know about.’”

The dog will be tested for rabies, as part of protocol, but Thacker believes it’s unlikely the animal carried the virus.

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