In the News: SoCal Dog Attack Results in 1,000 Stitches

Just the Next in a Series of Tragic Dog Bite Cases, Including Children

A seven-year-old girl needed 1,000 after visiting an animal rescue shelter. The girl’s attack occurred during a visit to A Passion for Paws Akita Rescue kennel in Romoland, just off the 215 freeway near Menifee in Southwest Riverside County, California, around 1.5 hrs north of beautiful downtown San Diego. So the shelter is around two hours southeast of Los Angeles. It’s still in business, even though Akitas remains among some of the most aggressive dog breeds, following Pit Bulls, German Shepherds, and Rottweilers.

Authorities identified the attacker as a two-year-old Akita. Noteworthy are allegations that the kennel is privately owned and proper dog restraints were not in place to protect the child. Local press reported that the dog lunged at the girl and ravaged her face with its teeth, grabbing, biting, shredding, and ripping the poor girl apart.

The Sacramento Bee covered the story, as seen here. The girl’s family had considered adopting the dog before the attack. Of particular concern to any parents should be that this savage Landshark attack caused life-threatening injuries. She was in surgery for three hours following the attack. And this resulted in 1,000 stitches to sew the child’s skin back onto her face.

KABC reported:

“Her injuries were quite shocking because her injuries were to the face,” said John Welsh, spokesman for the county Department of Animal Services, the Desert Sun reported. “It’s terrible when these attacks affect children.”

One report stated that the attack nearly ripped the poor girl’s face off. This was the severe fifth bite attack at the private kennel. Furthermore, the owner declined to have the dog put down after the attack. While the owner did not want the dog destroyed following the June 2019 attack, authorities had another idea. KTLA reported that animal control requested the destruction of the dog. A similar case in Britain resulted in a 2-year-old girl being severely injured by an Akita. The Sun reported on this savage attack. But this attack occurred at a U.K. festival.

According to the piece:

The toddler stroked the dog on the side of its head but it opened its jaws and bit her. Megan said: “It was obviously extremely terrifying. The dog bit Isla and she was instantly bleeding.