The City of Windsor bylaw enforcement department is investigating after a 6-year-old Windsor girl was mauled by a dog.
Pam Robertson says her granddaughter Karma Jarrett was attacked after she dropped her off for a sleepover at a friend’s house at College and Rankin on Saturday night.
“I sent my granddaughter to a sleepover, she was there for about an hour when I got the call that she had been bitten by a dog,” says Robertson.
“I rush in the house and I see her holding her face on, and a towel around her leg.”
Robertson says Jarrett had been around the dog before, but there was also another smaller dog at the house.
“The pit bull was aggressively trying to get to the little dog and my granddaughter was playing with the little dog and tried to pull her away.”
The 6-year-old Jarrett tells CTV News the pit bull jumped on her and bit her.
"I was never afraid of dogs, now I never want to be around another one again."
Robertson says her granddaughter was rushed to the hospital and had to get 75 stitches in her face and 50 stitches on her leg.
“This is tragic, horrifying, ridiculous,” says Robertson. “I could keep going and going.”
Jarrett’s mother Shantee Karma Highgate raced to the hospital as soon a she was notified of the terrible incident. She’s thankful it wasn’t worse.
"We were very lucky,” Highgate. “We avoided any nerve damage, any bone damage."
Jarrett has been released from hospital and is recovering at home.
Both Robertson and Highgate are outraged and want the three-year-old dog put down so it doesn’t happen to anyone else.
“These injuries are so severe, I can’t imagine what the owner of the dogs why she doesn’t want to volunteer for her dog to be put down,” says Robertson.
Robertson says they contacted the police.
“The police showed up at the emergency room,” she says. “We would love to press charges, but the police told us there’s nothing we can do.”
Sgt. Steve Betteridge says police were contacted regarding the dog bite matter. He says there was no criminal element and the case has been forwarded to the health unit.
The Windsor-Essex Humane Society says dangerous dog investigations are dealt with by the city’s bylaw enforcement department.
Manager of by-law enforcement Bill Tetler says they are looking into the case.
“My goal is to have it wrapped up in two weeks,” says Tetler. “We want to do a complete thorough investigation.
He says there are two different fines that the owner could face.
“The maximum fine that anyone can face with regards to a dog bite incident under the municipal by-law would be a fine of up to $5000, under the Dog Owners Liability Act would be a $10,000 fine and/or six months in jail.”
