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Child bitten by dog in Vermilion Parish, VPSO investigating

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Posted at 12:24 PM, Jun 02, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-02 17:36:54-04

MAURICE, La. — A post circulating on social media tells a story of a little girl bitten by a dog at her home in Vermilion Parish.

The child's parents say that she was attacked at her home by a dog that belonged to a neighbor.

In a Facebook post, her father wrote that a neighbor's dog came in their yard "and grabbed my daughter by the head causing huge lacerations." The father also writes that the dogs aren't properly contained and "something has to be done."

The child's mother posted that she was discharged from the hospital at about 2:30 p.m., and also that the child's twin brother, who witnessed the attack, was traumatized as well.

Vermilion Parish Sheriff's deputies are investigating.

The incident happened yesterday at a home off Placide Road in the rural area between Maurice and Abbeville, according to VPSO Public Information officer Drew David.

Deputies arrived and learned that a four-year-old girl had been attacked and bitten by a dog. She had wounds on her face and other parts of her body. The child's father shot and killed the dog, David said.

Deputies investigating the incident are forwarding criminal charges to the district attorney, which include violation of the Vermilion Parish animal control ordinance and negligent injury.

Further investigation of the incident will include an evaluation by an animal control representative aimed at determining the types and histories of other dogs being kept on the owner’s property and whether or not the other dogs are being contained by measures that are considered adequate for control and escape prevention, David said.

The investigation of this incident is ongoing and could result in additional charges, he said.