Young mauling
victim dies
Saturday, April 20, 2002
Monterey police say a 5-year-old girl is dead today as a result of
an attack by a family dog last night.
Victoria Morales of Monterey died at 10:15 p.m. Friday after she was
set upon by the family's two Rottweilers, police spokesman Randy Taylor
said today.
"It is a very sad story,'' he said. "Large animals and small kids ...
you can't be too careful.''
Taylor said the report of the attack near 5 Harris Court in the Ryan
Ranch area of Monterey came in at about 5:35 p.m. Friday.
According to Taylor, the grandmother and her two grandchildren, Victoria
and a 9-year-old boy, were walking the two adult Rottweilers in the
rural greenbelt area that they went to often.
At some point during the walk, a lizard startled the group.
"In that commotion, at least one of the dogs attacked the young girl,''
Taylor said. "The grandmother fought off the dog and called for help.''
Victoria suffered very serious upper body wounds in the attack and
was transported to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. Taylor
said officers who responded to the scene were "quite disturbed by the
extent of her injuries.''
County animal control officers took custody of the dogs, a male and
a female, which are now under the care of the Monterey County Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
It is still unknown whether more than one dog participated in the fatal
attack. An investigation is continuing today.
The attack came less than 24 hours after another family dog attack
in Salinas left a 5-year-old boy with serious head injuries.
Salinas police said the boy suffered multiple puncture wounds to his
face, neck and back after being bitten by his family's Doberman pinscher
shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday at the family home on Magnolia Drive.
The doctor who examined the boy said the scalp had been pulled away
from the skull and X-rays revealed a skull fracture.
It was the second time the Doberman had attacked a child in the last
year, according to authorities. It was taken into custody by animal
control officers pending further investigation.
©2002 SF Gate
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