Amstaff Dog Attacks, Moderately Wounds Toddler in Kiryat Ekron Near Rehovot

"An amstaff dog on Saturday attacked a 2-year-old in a Kiryat Ekron public park, leaving the toddler moderately wounded and with major cosmetic damage. Ya'ara Medani was walking with her father in the park, when she noticed two of her neighbors, 16-year-old boys, with two amstaff dogs. The toddler asked her father, Ronen Medani, if she could pet them. Medani said he asked the dogs' owners if the dogs would attack or bite, and was told they would not. Medani said he also asked the owners to hold onto the dogs' collars while his daughter pet them.

Medani said he picked his daughter up so she could pet the dogs, when one of them leaped from its collars and attacked the little girl. "Apparently the collar had loosened on one of the dogs, and it attacked my daughter. He bit her and ripped her cheek," Medani said. The toddler also suffered from scratches on her neck.

The toddler was taken to Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot, where she received first-aid in the children's emergency room. She is in stable condition and conscious, the hospital reported, but the wounds on her face will leave her with much cosmetic damage and in danger of infection. Doctors have begun treatment to prevent infection, and have said the girl will mostly likely be given plastic surgery.

The teenagers and their dogs were taken to the Rehovot police station for questioning. Police say the dog who attacked the toddler was not wearing a muzzle at the time. The teenagers have been released for the remainder of the investigation, but their failure to take precautionary steps with their pets has been recorded on file. The offending dog was removed from its owner and put into isolation."

Source: Yuval Azoulay. Amstaff dog attacks, moderately wounds Kiryat Ekron toddler. Ha'aretz.com (22 October 2005) [FullText]