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SIOUX CITY, IOWA -- A 19-month-old boy is seriously injured Wednesday night by a neighborhood dog. Police say the mauling happened just after 7:00 p.m. on Sioux City's near north side. The toddler had been bitten several times in the chest and lower extremities. Witnesses say the little boy had wandered into the yard from next door before being attacked by the dog. Neighbors were able to free the child from the dog's grip prior to calling 911 and the dog had been chained to a tree at 2315 Douglas Street and was on the scene when emergency officials arrived. The dog was taken into custody pending an investigation. The boy suffered serious injuries and was taken to St. Luke's for treatment. The incident continues to be under investigation by police and Animal Adoption and Rescue Center officials. 19-Month-Old Upgraded To Fair Condition After Dog Attack Posted: Aug 26, 2010 10:15 AM EDT SIOUX CITY, IOWA -- (UPDATE: St. Luke's Hospital confirmed Friday morning that Samuel Van Donslear has been upgraded from serious condition to fair condition.) Wednesday night just after 7:00, police were called to 2315 Douglas Street in Sioux City after 19 month old Samuel Van Donslear was found in his neighbor dogs mouth. Police say the boy walked into the neighbors yard where the was dog tied to a tree. The dog is describes as a Husky. Witnesses saw the baby in the dog's mouth and ran towards it to help. Meanwhile, off duty Police Officer Lt. Mark Kirkpatrick was driving by on a motorcycle and saw what was happening. "He was driving by, actually he witnessed the commotion, noticed that something was going a little a–rye and basically looked and turned around and came back to see exactly what he had seen," said Capt. Marti Reilly. At this point Reilly says Kirkpatrick was joined by a neighbor in an effort to save the child. "Both gentlemen, there were two, approached the dog, yelling at the dog and when they approached the dog it released the child." Sammie is now in fair condition at St. Luke's Hospital. His mom Cheryl Van Donslear says he suffered 45 puncture wounds and two collapsed lungs. The dog has been taken into custody by Animal Adoption and Rescue, and because of seriousness of the incident, the case has been put in the hands of the Police Departments Investigative Bureau. Channel 9 will continue to follow this case closely and will keep you informed as information comes available.
Mom: Toddler in 'pretty bad shape' from dog bites By EARL HORLYK, Courier Lee News Service wcfcourier.com | Posted: Thursday, August 26, 2010 9:25 pm
SIOUX CITY, IOWA -- The toddler who was mauled by a neighbor's dog Wednesday evening was in serious but stable condition at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center on Thursday, his mother said. Cheryl Van Donslear said her 19-month-old son, Samuel Van Donslear, suffered 45 puncture wounds, collapsed lungs, a bruised kidney, bleeding spleen, trauma to his pancreas and tears to his stomach and groin in the attack at 2315 Douglas St. "He's in pretty bad shape," Van Donslear said of the child she described as "a typical 19-month-old boy who liked to climb and run and get into trouble." Although she said doctors have given Samuel a 70 percent chance of recovery, Van Donslear said she has faith in her little boy. "For everything he's going through, he's a pretty tough little guy," she said. She said the boy somehow got out of the family's house, at 2309 Douglas, while she was doing the dishes and wandered into the neighbor's yard, where witnesses said a dog tied to a tree was biting the child's chest and lower extremities. "It all went down in a matter of minutes," Van Donslear said. One of the witnesses was Sioux City Police Lt. Mark Kirkpatrick, who was off duty. Kirkpatrick and Ron Rouse, a neighbor, approached the dog, which then released the child, according to Sioux City Police Capt. Marti Reilly, who said at a news conference Thursday that police officers were called to the scene shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday The dog is owned by Jason Spring, who lives at 2315 Douglas, Reilly said. Sioux City Animal Adoption & Rescue Center impounded the dog, named Koos, Reilly said, adding that due to the severity of Samuel Van Donslear's injuries, the ongoing investigation will be conducted by the Sioux City Police Department's Investigative Services Bureau as well as the rescue center. Described by witnesses as being a large husky type, Cheryl Van Donslear said she believes Spring's dog is a wolf hybrid. Reilly said he could not confirm the dog's breed, and a woman who answered the door at Spring's home declined to comment. The attack on Samuel was the second dog-bite incident in the neighborhood this week. Police confirmed that the Van Donslears' own dog, a German shepherd named Mimi, was impounded Monday after authorities say it killed a 1-year-old shih tzu that was tied in the yard at 2304 Grandview Blvd. "It really makes me concerned about people keeping pets that could potentially be violent, especially in a neighborhood with so many young children," Staci Moore, the owner of the dead shih tzu, said. Moore's husband, Dan Moore, said a necropsy showed their dog died of internal bleeding and multiple bite wounds. Van Donslear said her dog was found sniffing around the shih tzu's body but was not responsible for its death. |
Dogs Deserve Better, Inc. is a 501c3 national nonprofit organization.Parents Against Dog Chaining is currently a program of Dogs Deserve Better, and as such all donations are tax-deductible according to IRS guidelines. All funds donated to the Parents Against Dog Chaining program will initially go into the DDB general fund account; however, they will be earmarked and used for Parents Against Dog Chaining materials and campaigns.
Special thanks to Emily Pennel, who faithfully catalogs attacks on her informative chained dog site, www.unchainyourdog.org.
CONTACT: Beth at
info@parentsagainstdogchaining.org
or
Tamira C. Thayne
founder of
Parents Against Dog Chaining
and
Dogs Deserve Better
at
info@dogsdeservebetter.org
or at
877-636-1408
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