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| CONTACT: Tammy
Grimes |
Published: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 10:31 p.m. MDT
HURRICANE - A young girl remained hospitalized Tuesday after a neighbor's pit bull attacked her Monday evening.
The girl, about 5 years old, suffered wounds to her head and face, said Hurricane police spokeswoman Nancy Perkins.
The child apparently wandered into the yard where the dog was restrained by a chain. The dog's owner told police the child was throwing rocks at the dog, which is 2 or 3 years old and not neutered, Perkins said.
After the dog attacked, its owner tried to restrain the dog while another neighbor called police after hearing the girl's screams, she said.
A Hurricane animal control officer responded and impounded the dog and it remained quarantined Tuesday, pending an investigation.
"The dog's owner was doing everything possible to stop the dog," said animal control officer Linda Melin.
"The owners are being absolutely cooperative with me in this investigation."
Melin said the dog has often played with children with no problems.
— Josh Smith
Hurricane Pit Bull Dog Attack Victim Remains
Critical But Stable
by Jason Carter, KCSG News
ST. GEORGE, UTAH - Five year-old Katie Weeks of Hurricane remains in critical but stable condition at the Dixie regional Medical Center after being attacked by pit bull dog near her home in Hurricane. KCSG News's Jason Carter spoke with the child's mother Saleena Wickward.
April 21st, 2010 @ 1:12pm
By Marc Giauque
HURRICANE - A pit bull is quarantined in Hurricane as a 5-year-old girl recovers from a terrible attack. But was it really the dog's breed that turned the animal suddenly aggressive?
Police say the animal's ultimate fate will be unknown until they finish their investigation into the attack that left 5-year old Saleena Wickward with serious facial injuries and more than 900 stitches.
"The fact that all of these circumstances came together and resulted in this attack are horrifying for everyone involved," says Temma Martin, spokeswoman for the Best Friends Animal Society. "But the important thing is not to focus on what kind of dog this was, but the circumstances."
The dog was not neutered and it was on a chain, both circumstances Martin says can make dogs more aggressive.
The dog remains in quarantine. Police say its fate right now is undetermined, but the fact was the dog was not loose and the attack happened on the owner's property.
Martin says pit bulls are strong dogs with strong jaws, but she doesn't think it's fair to blame just the breed.
"Unfortunately, this is the current dog du jour to focus on," she says.
Animal adoption specialists have had trouble even adopting some pit bulls because of their reputation -- one they say is often the result of owners treatment and training, not the animals themselves.
"The unfortunate case with pit bulls, right now, is we only hear about the bad ones in the news," Martin says.
In reality, she says, many work as service dogs and are devoted family animals.
April 20th, 2010 @ 9:42pm
By Nicole Gonzales
Katie Weeks' 5-year-old daughter was attacked by a
neighbor's pit bull Monday night in Hurricane
HURRICANE - Many owners of American pit bull terriers say the dogs get a bad rap, that they can be as sweet as any other breed and can make great family pets. But if a pit bull attacks, one Utah mother says the results can be devastating.
Katie Weeks' 5-year-old daughter was attacked by a neighbor's pit bull Monday night in Hurricane.
A pit bull mauled Katie Weeks' 5-year-old daughter, Saleena Wickward, in Hurricane Monday night. The little girl is now recovering from reconstructive facial surgery.
"She's already asked her mom for a mirror, and we're waiting on that," Weeks says.
Right now, Saleena's face only resembles what she used to look like: swelling, stitches and staples consume her innocent face.
"I was so afraid to walk into that room and see my little girl because I just thought she would never look the same again," Weeks says.
But she says her daughter already looks better than she did right after the attack.
It happened Monday night in Hurricane around 5:30. Weeks says her daughter wandered to the next yard over to catch a caterpillar.
According to the dog owner, Saleena was throwing rocks at the pit bull. Then, it lunged at her face.
5-year-old Saleena Wickward needed nearly 900 stitches to close up the exterior lacerations sustained in the dog attack.
"The dog was on a chain, but he grabbed her and didn't let go," Weeks says.
The owner had to pry the jaws off of Saleena's head. Neighbors called 911.
Saleena stayed conscious while waiting for an ambulance.
"We got a towel and pushed the skin up against her, and just wrapped it around and held it there until 911 got there, and just rocked her and tried to comfort her the best we could," Weeks says.
At Dixie Regional Medical Center, the 5-year-old had six and a half hours of reconstructive surgery. Two plastic surgeons helped put Saleena's face back together.
Stitches go from the middle of her lip, to her nose and cheek, then around her ear. A plate and screw are stabilizing her fractured cheek.
Now, doctors and family members will have to wait to see if there's any nerve damage. In the meantime, weeks says her emotions are all over the place.
"Fear, hope, more prayers than I've ever said in my life," she says.
The dog owner didn't want to comment. Weeks doesn't place blame on the owner. She says the dog had played with her kids before.
Hurricane police say the pit bull is with animal control.
5-Year-Old Gets Nearly 900 Stitches After Pit Bull Attack
by Emily Cyr
ST. GEORGE, UTAH (KUTV/CBS) - Five year-old Saleena Wickward survived a vicious attack by a pit bull on Monday in Hurricane. According to the girl's mother, the dog bit Saleena's face tearing the skin on the right side of her face to shreds. "The work doctors have done is miraculous," said Katie Weeks of the surgeons who used 892 stitches to reattach the skin to her daughter's face.
According to Katie, on Monday afternoon, Saleena came home disappointed that the caterpillar she'd caught at school had died. She wanted to find another one so she ran out of the house toward the neighbor's house to look for one. Katie ran after her daughter but it was too late. In just a matter of seconds, she said the neighbor's pit bull which was chained, attacked Saleena. "I saw the dog jump and heard her scream," recalled Weeks. "It was a mother's worst nightmare."
Weeks said the dog would not let go of her daughter's face. "Her entire jaw line was exposed," she said. Weeks said the dog's owners ran to help. Their teenage son pried the dog's jaw open and pulled it away from Saleena. "I don't know what I would have done had they not been there," said Weeks of her neighbors.
Saleena underwent a 6 hour surgery to repair her face. On Tuesday, she showed signs of improvement as her fever was down but her face was very swollen and disfigured. Her mother said her eyes were not damaged in the attack.
A representative from the city of Hurricane said the dog was quarantined while Animal Control investigates. According to the city the pit bull has no history of attacks. Weeks said the dog has been friendly in the past. She does not fault her neighbors for the attack, saying they feel badly and have been helpful to her and her daughter. At the same time, she said she doesn't think the dog should be allowed around children again.
Saleena's family has opened an account at Wells Fargo bank in her name (Saleena Wickward). Donations to the account would help the family with medical expenses.
.
Pit bull attacks five-year old girl in Hurricane
By Bruce Mehew
Published on April 21, 2010 at 08:59AM
HURRICANE – A pit bull attacked a five-year old Hurricane girl Monday night resulting with over 900 stitches to reconstruct her face. According to the girl’s mother, Katie Weeks, Saleena wandered into a yard next door to their home to catch a caterpillar, when the dog attacked her and wouldn’t let go. The dog owner said Saleena was throwing rocks at the dog and the pit bull lunged at her. Week’s said he had to pry the jaws of the dog off of her head and the neighbors called 9-1-1. She said Saleena stayed conscious while they waited for an ambulance to transport the girl to the Dixie Medical Center in St. George. The five-year old had to go through a six-and-a-half hour operation to restore her face and her mother was not sure what she would look like after surgery. Two plastic surgeons helped put Saleena’s face back together and await results of the operation to see if there’s any nerve damage. The dog owner refused to comment on the incident and the pit bull is with animal control.