Pit Bull Attacks Three Fla. Women
An 18-year old woman went to retrieve the dog from the pool/lanai area in the 14000 block of Seventh Avenue East, when she was attacked.
The woman's twin sister, and her mother immediately went to her aid and were also attacked in the pool/lanai area, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. The attack occurred at 2:15 p.m.
The three women were able to escape from the dog by entering the living room and closing a sliding glass door behind them.
They were all hospitalized in stable condition.
The 45-year-old mother was the most seriously injured, said sheriff's spokesman Dave Bristow.
Trauma patients in Manatee County are normally taken to Blake Medical Center.
Manatee Animal Services responded and impounded the dog. The mother had been sitting the dog for her niece.
"It appears to be a tragic accident," Bristow said.
Bill Hutchinson, Manatee County's former public safety director who is now serving as interim director of Animal Services, said the county health department requires the dog be held 10 days after an attack to ensure there is no rabies.
After that the dog could be put down, depending on the final report from the sheriff's office, Hutchinson said.
That could be delayed if there were any legal action filed in the case, he said.
In an unprovoked dog attack, it's "pretty cut and dried" that the dog would be put down, Hutchinson said.
But Hutchinson said the sheriff's inquiry into the attack needs to be completed before the dog's fate is sealed.
"There is always a story," he said.
James A. Jones Jr., East Manatee reporter, can be contacted at 941-745-7053 or on Twitter @jajones1.
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