SCRAPS investigating pit bull attack on 5-year-old girl

The Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service is investigating a report that a pit bull attacked a 5-year-old girl without provocation, leaving a wound on the girl’s face that required 50 stitches to close.

The girl’s mother called SCRAPS Monday morning to report the attack. It took place Saturday at the house where the dog’s owner lives in the 2000 block of West Jackson, said SCRAPS director Nancy Hill. The girl was visiting the home and was petting a different dog when the gray and tan pit bull named Packman bit her on the cheek, the mother said.

The mother, identified as Tazra Wren, told KHQ that the dog belongs to a family friend.

“Literally pieces of her skin were missing from her face,” she told the TV station. “Seeing her like that was the most awful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Wren said she thinks the dog should be put down, but the owner of the dog, Christina Norris, told KHQ that her dog is good with children and the incident was out of character for him.

“I will not let my dog be put down for an accident,” she said. “To the little girl, I’m completely sorry. I really am.”

SCRAPS declared the dog dangerous and impounded it on Tuesday. The dog’s owners have already filed an appeal and a hearing will likely be held later this month, Hill said.

Even if the dangerous dog designation is upheld, the owners can keep the dog if they comply with strict fencing requirements and only take the dog out if it is leashed and muzzled. A $250,000 liability insurance policy is also required.

The investigation into the attack is ongoing, Hill said.