Toddler Mauled by 7 Dogs Dies: Pit Bulls Euthanized (VIDEO)
A toddler who was mauled by seven pit bull dogs on Wednesday has passed away in Georgia.
The 21-month old girl was attacked in the yard of her home by a pack of dogs that were owned by the girl's parents. The girl was pronounced dead at the scene; all seven dogs were euthanized following the incident.
The girl's grandmother was looking after the girl at the time of the attack. The grandmother was asleep inside the house when she heard the commotion; she noticed the attack taking place from the window, according to the Daily Mail.
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Officials were uncertain at the time of the attack, how the toddler managed to get outside the house. The girl's 12-year-old brother was home at the time and may have taken the girl out to play, or the toddler may have accessed the yard through a doggy door.
The family had nine dogs altogether. The girl played with the dogs frequently, according to reports. The two dogs not involved in the attack were spared; they were not pit bulls.
It was unclear on Wednesday night if charges would be filed against the parents, according to the Associated Press.
A number of attacks involving pit bulls have occurred in the past few years, prompting some lawmakers to deem the breed to be viscous. Last year a Maryland court ruled that pit bulls were "inherently dangerous" following the 2007 attack of young boy who suffered life-threatening injuries.
In 2000, after conducting a study that researched two decades of dog attack reports, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that pit bulls and Rottweilers were involved in more than half of the 238 deaths that took place from dog bites.
