It all started on January 1, around 4:00 in the afternoon, when the pit bull mix from this home on College Avenue got loose and attacked 7-year-old Tyron Collins.
"Not even 2-3 minutes out there, Tyson comes running in the house telling us Tyron was being bit by a dog, and then I heard that and I came running around the corner of the house... and that's when I saw Tyron was on the ground being shook by the dog, so I ran to him and picked him up," said Tyron's Aunt, Amy Chapa.
"I was just shocked to see him being attacked by that dog--the first thing I thought to do was call 911," said family friend, Erica Myles.
Neighbors and family tried desperately to get the dog off the boy.
Minutes later the dog's owner Radale Nuckols pulled the dog off the young boy and brought it back home.
That's when things in this neighborhood went from bad to worse.
8-year-old Trina Watson was playing in the Nuckols' basement when the dog attacked again.
"I was playing with her and Ciara, who lives next door and then the dog looked at me and I hopped on the couch and he bite me," said Trina.
"She was hopping and screaming 'Auntie I'm going to die, I'm going to die Auntie' and she kept saying that, she was really scared!
This isn't the first time the dog named "Taz" has been loose, but his owners say they've never had any previous problems.
"He's never attacked anyone before. He'll get loose, but if you provoke him that's when he'll attack," said Florence Nuckols, one of the caretakers of the dog.
But families of the victims aren't buying that one...
"The accident was right there. They weren't even anywhere near the dog," said Erica Myles.
"They haven't even came here and said I'm sorry... or anything like that," added Erica.
The resident of 1406 Collegeview, 26-year-old Radale Nuckols was charged with Harboring a Vicious Animal.
The dog was seized and is being held at the Bowling Green/Warren County Humane Society.
Meanwhile, Tyron Collins is at Vanderbilt Hospital in "good condition" after having surgery last night.
Trina Watson is back home after suffering several broken bones in her right foot.
2 Kids Attacked By Pit-Bull Mix
Dog Broke Loose From Yard, Police Say
Updated 1:18 p.m. ET, Sun., Jan. 4, 2009
WSV-TV
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Two young children in Kentucky are recovering after being attacked by a pit-bull mix Thursday afternoon in Bowling Green.
Police said they were called out to Collegeview Drive, where the dog had broken loose from its leash -- which was made of chain, a nylon collar and duct tape -- and attacked 7-year-old Tyron-Anthony Collins in the boy's yard.
Neighbors were able to get the dog away from him, but then the animal got away and ended up attacking 8-year-old Trina Watson in the same area.
Watson was treated and released from the hospital. Collins had extensive injuries to his hand and leg and was transferred to Vanderbilt, where he was stable Friday.
Radale Nuckols, the dog's owner, is charged with harboring a vicious animal. The dog is being held at a local Humane Society.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Two Bowling Green children are recovering after being mauled by a neighbor’s pit bull.
Bowling Green police said the dog broke its chain and wandered into several neighbors’ yards.
Police said the dog bit a 7-year-old boy on the hand and leg and an 8-year-old girl on the foot.
The kids were taken to a local hospital, but the boy was later transferred to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. The children are expected to survive, but police said the boy’s hand and leg injuries are severe.
The pit bull is under quarantine at the Bowling Green-Warren County Humane Society.
Radale Nuckols, the dog’s owner, was cited by police for harboring a vicious animal.
Two kids injured in pit bull attack: One in hospital in Nashville, the other treated in BG, both with non-life-threatening injuries
Fri. January 02, 2009; Posted: 03:16 PM
The Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune
Tyron-Anthony Collins had severe bite injuries to his hand and leg and Trina Watson, 8, both of Bowling Green, was bitten on the foot around 4 p.m., according to a Bowling Green Police Department report.
The dog's caretaker, Radale Nuckols, 26, 1406 Collegeview Drive, was charged with harboring a vicious animal, said Officer Barry Pruitt, spokesman for the Bowling Green Police Department. The charge is a class A misdemeanor.
"Apparently the dog was able to get off its chain and get into a back yard with the children," he said.
The dog entered the back yard of 1404 Collegeview Drive where children were playing and attacked and mauled the boy, Pruitt said.
Neighbors attempted to beat the dog and pull it away from the child. Nuckols was able to pull the dog away from the boy, Pruitt said. Nuckols took the dog back to his home, where it bit the girl while he was trying to restraint it.
Nuckols told police the dog belonged to his brother and that he had been caring for it. The dog had been tied up in the backyard, according to the police report.
Nuckols told police the dog had broken several collars, according to the report, and the collar was being held together with duct tape.
Nuckols told police children are constantly bothering the dog, coming into his yard, kicking at the dog and throwing things at it, according to the report.
There had been complaints in the past about a pit bull getting loose at Nuckols' residence, Pruitt said. It's unknown if it's the same pit bull from this incident.
The boy's injuries are not life threatening, Pruitt said. Both children were taken to The Medical Center. Watson's injuries were minor and Collins was transferred to Vanderbilt.
The dog was seized and was taken to the Bowling Green-Warren County Animal Shelter. A decision has not been made about what will be done to the dog, Pruitt said. It is possible that additional charges could be filed against Nuckols.
