WEST FORK, Ark. — Ivy Almmons and her daughters were playing outside on Nov. 17. They live next to their landlord who has a pit bull they know well.
Almmons said her almost 2-year-old toddler Holland picked up a bone that was in the grass to try and play with the dog.
"He bit her face. He was like off of his front legs, lunging towards her, and I yelled his name and luckily, he did stop," Almmons said. "I never knew that he was food aggressive because we don't really feed him."
The bite left Holland with large lacerations across her face. They immediately rushed her to the hospital where she had surgery and over 50 stitches. They also knocked on the landlord's door who eventually came out to see the situation.
"I could not stop screaming over and over again," Almmons said. "I went into complete shock. I had a stutter and I couldn't get words out."
Almmons said she later learned at the hospital from her landlord that the dog hadn't had an updated rabies vaccine in 3 years.
"The dog is currently at the vet being assessed," Almmons said. "We really don't think that he has rabies because it is such a low percentage and such a low chance, but even just risking it, especially you see how much land is out here. What are the odds that a raccoon comes out here rabid? There's just several obvious signs of negligence on his part of just not doing the right thing for owning a dog."
City code says that any animal that has bitten a person is a rabies suspect.
As of Wednesday, Nov. 20, the West Fork Police Department (WFPD) said the pit bull is vet quarantined for 10 days. The department says that is standard protocol when an animal has bitten someone and the owner can't prove the animal is up to date on vaccines.
In a police report, WFPD said they talked to the owner of the dog who said he gave the dog a bone outside and he went back inside that morning. In the report, the officer said the dog never showed any signs of aggression and the kids would play outside with the dog.
The report also said the officer who responded recommended the owner make sure the dog doesn't bite anyone else or he could be cited for having an aggressive animal. Almmons said she thinks that is already the case and wants the police to take action. She said police told her the case was already closed.
"It is a genuine, automatic vicious response," Almmons said. "He went for my daughter's face like he was attempting to severely hurt her. And I think cases like this, like the dog, should be deemed dangerous immediately. I told [police] that I would like to press charges and at least have the dog deemed dangerous."
Police said they'll follow up with the owner after the dog's quarantine period. Almmons said they're now looking for somewhere else to live.
"I think it comes down to ownership. And whenever you are going to have a dog with the most powerful bite of any dog, you can't be treating them this way. Can't train them in a way to be food aggressive. You can't leave them outside unattended with children," Almmons said.
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