Durham mom starts petition to kick pit bull out of neighborhood
DURHAM (WTVD) -- A Durham mom is fighting back after a pit bull attacked her 5-year-old daughter.
She turned to ABC11 for help when investigators refused to deem the dog "dangerous."
But she's also starting an online petition to have the dog kicked out of the neighborhood.
What was a 5-year-old's favorite backpack is now evidence of a vicious after-school attack.
"As soon as the door opened, the dog just ran right out and jumped on my daughter's head," said Ashley Stephens, who watched the attack on her daughter. "And then there was blood and we started fighting the dog off."
Stephens said she and her daughter, 5-year-old Elissa, had gone to her neighbor's house to let them know their child was still waiting on the school bus. Stephens' 4-year-old son was also with them.
Elissa ran ahead and knocked on the door. Ashley said the next thing she saw was the neighbor's pit bull locked onto her daughter's head.
"It was really, really scary," Stephens said, "and it's probably the worst thing I've been through in my life."
The dog eventually let go, but Elissa was badly cut and bitten, leaving the kindergartner with seven staples in her scalp. Durham County Sheriff Deputies seized the dog, placing it in quarantine for a required 10 days.
"They basically told me that the dog was not deemed dangerous because it had only bitten somebody one time," Stephens said.
So the dog was returned home Wednesday.
"I have no idea why they would want something so evil back in their house," Stephens said.
Stephens started an online petition to get the dog removed permanently.
The dog's owner has since posted warning signs on his property. He says this is a case of child neglect, not a dangerous dog.
"He's not considered dangerous," the owner said. "I just got him out. He's never bit anybody before."
He added, "It's the parent's responsibility to keep an eye on their kids, to keep them in their yard, to keep them safe."
Stephens admits her children have visited the home before with no problem, but she says that shouldn't matter -- the attack should matter.
The Sheriff's Office tells ABC11 that investigators are now taking a second look at the investigation after finding discrepancies in the initial report. They tell us they have not ruled out deeming the dog dangerous.
Stephens says her daughter already found that out first-hand.
"She doesn't want to be scared on her street in her own yard," Stephens said. "We've never seen the dog in the street but that doesn't mean he won't come out in the street."
The petition can be viewed on charge.org or on Facebook.
