Girl, 3, fights for life after being viciously mauled by pack of dogs, sustains neck and head injuries
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA: A toddler is fighting for her life in the hospital after sustaining serious neck and head injuries in a brutal dog attack. Emergency responders arrived at a property on Paterson Road in Yatala, north of Gold Coast, around 5.20 pm on Wednesday, April 12, following a report that a pack of dogs had mauled a child.
The three-year-old was rushed to the Queensland Children's Hospital by ambulance. The owner of the property is reportedly a registered dog breeder and the grandmother of the child. "Concerningly, another young child has sustained significant injuries from dog bites," a Queensland Ambulance Service spokesperson said in a statement.
READ MORE
Woman requires surgery after dog attacks her when she tried giving it a treat at Home Depot
Woman arrested after her dog launches vicious attack leaving 11-year-old girl in hospital
Multiple dogs seized from property
"Concerningly, another young child has sustained significant injuries from dog bites," a Queensland Ambulance Service spokesperson said in a statement. They added, "Multiple paramedic units were called to a private address in Yatala at 5.20 pm and transported a child to Queensland Children's Hospital in a serious condition with head and neck injuries."
The Courier-Mail reported that animal management officers seized multiple dogs from the property and that an investigation was underway. According to the Gold Coast City Council, four dogs -- including German Shepherds and a French Bull Mastiff -- were taken from the home at about 7.30 pm. The toddler's mother was also rushed to the hospital, it is understood.
A three-year-old girl is in hospital after she was mauled by dogs at a property north of the Gold Coast. #9News pic.twitter.com/LbZEaKsMNV
— 9News Gold Coast (@9NewsGoldCoast) April 12, 2023
Kurt Poole, a nearby resident, said he knew some of the hounds and that he owns one of their puppies. He expressed shock at the attack as he believed they were "good dogs." He told the Courier-Mail, "They've never done anything bad towards us. We play with them all the time, we're down here working. They're happy." According to Poole, the girl's grandmother would be "beside herself" following the incident, considering the dogs were possibly bred by her.
Similar incidents
MEAWW previously reported how a little girl was rushed to a hospital with grievous facial injuries after she was mauled by a dog. The youngster had to undergo facial surgery following the attack near the Tryan Road area in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England, on Thursday, April 6. Launching an investigation into the attack, Nuneaton Police seized and euthanized the dog. "We're investigating an incident in which a child was bitten by a dog in the Camp Hill area of Nuneaton on Thursday evening. The incident took place inside a property. The child sustained facial injuries, which required hospital treatment. The dog has been seized and destroyed. Inquiries are ongoing," Nuneaton and Bedworth Police said in a statement.
In a similar incident, a two-year-old girl was hospitalized with serious injuries after being viciously attacked by her family’s large dog. Alara Rose was playing when their 77-lb South African Boerboel mauled her at the property on Camilla Avenue in Osborne, Adelaide. The toddler was taken to the Woman and Children's Hospital, with what the police described as "superficial face injuries.” Later, the dog was taken out of the house by community safety officers from the City of Port Adelaide Enfield Council.