ClarksvilleNow.com Reporting
news@clarksvillenow.com
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – A child was treated for dog bites from a pit bull Tuesday night in the Sugartree subdivision.
A police report states that a caller requested an ambulance around 7:05 p.m. on Holly Rock Dr.
When police arrived a young girl was being treated by medics for several puncture wounds caused by dog bites. The injuries were not life threatening. It is unknown if any of the injuries will cause any permanent damage aside from scarring.
According to the report, the child’s mother said the girl was attacked by a pit bull while playing in the backyard with other children.
The dog’s owner said she has two adult dogs, one of which had a litter of puppies. The owner and the child’s mother believe it is possible that the dog was being protective of the puppies or had perhaps been provoked somehow.
The girl’s mother also told police the dog belongs to her roommate, who is the homeowner.
Director of Montgomery County Animal Control Jeanette Farrell said that as of 10 a.m. Wednesday the agency had not yet been contacted by officials about the incident.
Several members of a Facebook group for Sugartree subdivision have expressed concerns about the dogs at this residence, saying that multiple calls have been made in the past regarding the dogs’ behavior.
Brandi Post, who is the mother of the child, spoke to ClarksvilleNow.com to share her side of the story.
Post said her 5-year-old daughter and her roommate’s child were in the backyard playing with the puppies, which were enclosed in a playpen. She said her roommate was working on the fence on the other side of the yard at the time and that the children had not been left unsupervised.
The adult male dog then knocked over the pen.
“The pit bull maybe wanted to play with the puppies, I don’t really know what he was trying to do. My daughter reacted how she saw fit to try to protect the puppies and tried to pop him, and he reacted how he saw fit. We believe he was possibly trying to protect the puppies, we’re not sure,” Post said. “She (Post’s roommate) was right there immediately and grabbed my daughter and came to the front of the house.”
She said the dog belongs to her roommate’s ex-husband and is not related to the puppies.
“It was brought to light after the situation that he has previously been abused, so he reacted the only way that he knew,” she said.
Post also told ClarksvilleNow.com that she very recently moved into the home on Holly Rock Dr. and was unaware that neighbors have made complaints about the dogs in the past.
“Until yesterday, I had never seen any aggression from any of the dogs. They play with each other and dogs will be dogs, they’ll wrestle around with each other, but I’ve never seen aggression towards humans at all,” she said.
The police report says two adult dogs and a litter of puppies were living in the home, but Post confirmed that there were more dogs previously.
“Everyone is saying that my child needs to be taught how to be around dogs or the dog needed better training. People are trying to state their opinions,” Post continued. “Yes, my daughter should have left the dog alone, yes the dog could have been better trained, but it was just a freak accident. Both were trying to do what they thought was right.”
As of 2:30 p.m., Post said she and her roommate had not been contacted by Animal Control.
**NOTE: The police report states that the dog is a pit bull, but the owner told ClarksvilleNow.com it is an American bulldog.
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