10-Year-Old Girl Mauled By Several Dogs Near Home, Canines Seized

A 10-year-old girl was hospitalized in critical condition after she was attacked by several dogs in Lumberton, North Carolina, on Friday.

Robeson County sheriff Major Damien McLean said the incident took place Friday near the girl's house. Dispatchers were sent to a location after they were informed about the minor being mauled by dogs. McLean said at least four dogs were involved in the incident.

The girl was airlifted to UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill where she was treated for multiple wounds, according to Robesonian news. The young girl, whose identity has not been revealed, was listed as stable but in critical condition over the weekend.

“She is talking and she is alert,” McLean told local media, adding that the dogs have different owners. “The dogs have been seized.”

The dogs' breed has not been revealed.

Investigators have been questioning witnesses and community members about the dogs and whether they had a history of aggression. The records will help determine the future of the dogs and any charges in the case, McLean said.

“All dogs that bite are held for rabies observation for 10 days,” Bill Smith, director of the Robeson County Department of Public Health, added.

“After an investigation, we will determine if the bites were life-threatening and if so the animals would be candidates for euthanizing, with appeal rights. If they act like they have rabies they will be sacrificed,” he said.

In another incident last week, a dog owner was charged after his pet fatally attacked a newborn in New Zealand. The 1-day-old baby was at his Hamilton home when the dog – a large Rottweiler Bear – mauled and dragged the child into the garden. The canine also tried to bury the child, reports said at the time.

It wasn't clear how the dog reached the newborn's house. The newborn died in Waikato Hospital 24 hours after being attacked by the dog. The owner was charged with possessing a dog that causes serious injury/death to any person, an offense against Section 58 of the Dog Control Act 1996.