Pit Bull-Mix Dog Bites 6-Year-Old Girl, Leaves Her Critically Injured

A pet dog attacked a 6-year-old girl in a house in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sunday leaving the victim with life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

“On Sunday, July 15. 2018 at 10:17 a.m. [EDT] police responded to a dog attack in the 2700 block of Herrick Drive. A six year old female child was located suffering from injuries received from a dog attacking her. The child was unresponsive and was immediately transported to a local hospital by JFRD. The child was transported in severe life-threatening condition,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post.

The victim was unresponsive when the police arrived at the scene and was taken to a nearby hospital by the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department. Other children apart from the victim and one parent were present at the house when the attack took place.

The dog which attacked the child appeared to be a pit bull mix, according to the sheriff’s post, which added that the pit bull mix was not a pet of the victim’s family. The family was watching the dog for someone who was away on vacation. More than one dog was present at the house when the attack took place.

At least one dog was removed from the family’s house and taken to an animal shelter. It is unclear whether the quarantined animal was the one responsible for the attack. A note on the family’s front door informed the residents an animal was impounded and placed in quarantine. It also asked concerned people to contact the Jacksonville Animal Care and Protective Services within 24 hours.

Timothy Hightower, the neighbor who called the authorities on request of the victim’s parent, also witnessed the aftermath of the attack. He told CBS affiliated News4Jax he was outside when he saw his neighbor run out of the house in a state of panic and the cry out for help.

"I’m hearing somebody saying, 'Help me, help me,'" Hightower said. “She [the neighbor] ran out of the house and secured the baby and came laying the baby right here and told us to call the paramedics.”

He added that the victim was between 3 and 6 years of age and appeared unconscious. Although the nature of the victim’s injuries was not confirmed by the police, it was reported that the 6-year-old was bitten on the neck.

Hightower said that there was no way of knowing whether the child will be able to survive after being critically injured. "My whole family, we hope she lives," Hightower said.

Homicide detectives are assisting the sheriff’s office in the investigation.

Back in June, an 8-month-old infant was mauled to death in Miramar, Florida. The victim’s grandmother had brought the dog back from a walk when it suddenly broke free and attacked the baby in a bizarre incident.

"The grandma was holding the dog after coming back inside and he overpowered her and went directly into the room where the child was bouncing and attacked her,” Miramar Police Officer Yessenia Diaz said, calling the incident a “traumatizing tragedy.”