An infant died on Tuesday in the suburbs of Augusta, Georgia, after being attacked by a dog.
Serenity Garnett, seven months old, was staying with her great-grandmother Migdelia Guadalupe, in the city of Martinez, when a dog belonging to the owners of the home where Ms Guadalupe rented a room began to bite.
Both Garnett and her grandmother were taken to the AU Medical Center for treatment, where the baby died and Ms Guadalupe required stitches.
“She didn’t have the strength to deal with that dog,” neighbour Stephen Fox told WJBF. “That dog had muscles coming out the wazoo. When he got out occasionally it was very hard to get back.
The dog, an American Bulldog-Great Pyrenees mix, is now being quarantined for 10 days for potential rabies as an investigation into what happened continues.
A 7-month-old was attacked and killed by a dog at this home in Martinez, Georgia.
(Google Maps image)
Investors have not determined what caused the incident.
The dog belongs to Donna Mills, who co-owns the home where the attack happened with her brother Danny.
No charges have been filed, according to The Augusta Press.
Dog attacks against children are quite common.
There are approximately 800,000 a year requiring medical attention, according to the CDC. That’s 2,400 attacks a day against the general population, or one every 36 seconds.
More than 50 per cent of victims are children, a quarter of whom are taken to a doctor or emergency room.
