Toddler mauled in dog attack

02/28/07
Myfoxtampabay.com

TAMPA – A young boy is fighting for his life at a Bay Area hospital after a vicious dog attack.

20-month-old Ian Keo is still in critical condition at Tampa General Hospital, where he was taken after one of his family's dogs attacked him.  Doctors say his injuries are life-threatening.

Investigators say Ian and his grandmother were feeding the family's three dogs in the backyard of their home in eastern Hillsborough County late Wednesday afternoon when one of their dogs attacked.

They say the dogs were chained up at the time, but that didn't stop Mongo, a pit bull mix, from attacking the young boy. 

One neighbor, who did not want his identity revealed, watched as the boy was rushed to the hospital.

"When they laid the baby on to the ground, I seen his throat a little chewed up, a little bit on the face, a little on the arm," he said.

Doctors say Ian has life-threatening bites on his face and neck, and his skull may have also been crushed.  His grandmother received bites on her arms while she tried to protect her grandson.

Ian's grandmother received bites on her arms trying to protect her grandchild.

Next door neighbor Juan Ramirez didn't hear the dog attack, but reacted like any protective father.

"I wanted to kill the dog," he said.

Hillsborough County Animal Services has taken all three of the dogs into custody, even though only one of them attacked Ian.  There's no word yet as to what will happen to the dogs, but they say the situation is still under investigation.

Toddler mauled by family dog

The boy's great-grandmother, 69, fights off the pit bullterrier.

By JUSTIN GEORGE
Published March 1, 2007, sptimes.com

PLANT CITY - A 69-year-old great-grandmother fought off a pit bullterrier that severely injured her 2-year-old great-grandson Wednesday night, authorities said.

The boy, Ian Keo, was bitten in the head and neck by Mongo, a family dog that was chained behind a shed in the family's back yard, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

The toddler was flown by helicopter to Tampa General Hospital, where he was in critical condition late Wednesday with extensive injuries, said sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway. Authorities took Mongo into custody along with the family's two other dogs, which are pit bull mixes.

The attack occurred about 6 p.m. at 3408 Juanita Drive south of Plant City, deputies said.

The boy's great-grandmother, Willa Sue Pick, lives in a mother-in-law cottage in the back yard while three generations of her offspring, including Ian's mother, share the main home.

Pick brought Ian out to feed the dogs Wednesday, as she often does, said neighbor Van Paulk, 34. The dogs, which were all chained in the back yard, had never caused any problems before, he said.

Paulk spoke to Pick just before she fed the dogs. He then drove off to buy some food for his own pets.

That's when the attack happened.

"She said she was feeding the dog and all of a sudden he wrapped the chain around her and attacked her and then he attacked the baby," Paulk said.

By the time Paulk returned, Ian had been airlifted. Pick told him what happened, saying she had screamed out during the attack, hoping that he would hear her.

"They feed the dog with the kid all the time," he said. "It's just a freak accident."

As Hillsborough sheriff's detectives and Hillsborough County Animal Services officers investigated Wednesday night, a woman who identified herself as Ian's aunt came home to grab some clothes for her brother, who was at the hospital.

She declined to comment as did family members at Tampa General Hospital.

Times staff writer Morris Kennedy contributed to this report. Justin George can be reached at 813 226-3368 or jgeorge@sptimes.com.

 

Dog bites boy, seriously injuring him

A 20-month-old boy was severely bitten by a dog late Wednesday afternoon in Plant City.

According to Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokesman JD Callaway, the child's grandmother took him outside to feed their dog, a mixed breed pit bull, who was chained outside.

When she began to feed the dog, it attacked the child. The grandmother fought the dog and wrestled the child away. The dog remained chained during the incident.

The boy, Ian Keo, received extensive bite marks on his head and neck and was taken to Tampa General Hospital by helicopter with life-threatening injuries.

The incident occurred at 3408 Juanita Drive, Plant City, Florida.

 

PLANT CITY - Ian Keo, a 2-year-old boy who was bitten in the face and neck by a pit bullterrier, improved to serious but stable condition in a local hospital Thursday, authorities said.

The boy, who suffered facial fractures, an eye injury and trauma to his head and neck, had been airlifted to Tampa General Hospital the day before in critical condition.

The family dog that bit Ian was euthanized Thursday morning, as is standard practice for dogs that severely injure people, said Marti Ryan, spokeswoman for Hillsborough County Animal Services.

Hillsborough County sheriff's detectives continue to investigate the attack, which took place at 3408 Juanita Drive, south of Plant City.
Willa Sue Pick, 69, Ian's great-grandmother who lives on the property with the boy and his mother, took Ian outside to feed the family's dogs Wednesday evening.

Mongo, a black pit bullterrier the family had raised since he was a puppy, was chained behind a shed. As the pair went to feed him, the dog attacked.

"We're not sure if the little boy tripped over the chain and that startled the dog," Hillsborough County sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway said. "The dog basically attacked the child and the great-grandmother came to his rescue and successfully got the two separated."

Pick wasn't hurt in the attack. Investigators don't anticipate filing any charges. The family has declined to comment.

Officials with Animal Services say the case includes three factors that are known to contribute to dog attacks.

-Dogs that aren't spayed or neutered are more likely to attack. Mongo wasn't.

-Tethering dogs makes them more aggressive.

-Dogs can perceive children to be threats during feeding times.

If Ian became tangled in the dog's chain and screamed, Ryan added, the boy may have made Mongo nervous, causing the dog to react aggressively.