Sanford child bitten by neighbor's dog 49 times, mother says

SANFORD, N.C. (WTVD) -- A 12-year-old is recovering after her mother said she was bitten nearly 50 times by her neighbor's dog.

The attack happened Monday afternoon as the seventh grader was getting off the bus.

Her mother, Lateta Verbal, said the dog is normally chained up in the backyard, but Monday it was roaming free and attacked her daughter.

Verbal said a neighbor heard the girl's cries for help and ran outside. But Verbal said no one bothered to call 911.

Instead, when she got home, a crowd of people was standing around her bloodied daughter in the yard.

The girl was taken to the hospital and was later released. She's at home resting but her mother wants the dog's owners arrested.

Lee County Animal Control seized the dog. It will be under quarantine for 10 days pending the outcome of the investigation.

Meanwhile, criminal charges could be filed by the sheriff's office.