Posted on 09/30/2008 10:42:32 PM PDT by Chet 99
5-year old Dies After Being Mauled by Pit Bull
KTLA News
September 30, 2008
SIMI VALLEY -- A 5-year-old girl has died after being mauled by a pit bull in a family friend's back yard in Simi Valley, authorities said.
Katya Todesco, of Simi Valley, was attacked by the dog while she and her mother, Katia Todesco, were visiting a friend last Tuesday night in the 1000 block of Appleton Road, said Lt. Paul Fitzpatrick of the Simi Valley Police Department.
The little girl and the friend's 13-year-old daughter were playing in the back yard when the 5-year-old bumped into the dog and was then mauled, officials said.
The victim's mother heard screams and went outside to find the 35-pound dog latched onto her daughter. "It was a horrible attack," Todesco said Monday. "With my own hands I was pulling the dog's jaw."
Katya, who was bitten on her face and neck, lost a massive amount of blood, but was revived by doctors at Simi Valley Hospital, her mother said. She died just before 4 p.m. Friday at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, according to Los Angeles County coroner's investigator Ed Winter.
Katya's mother said the family donated her organs, and several were already scheduled for transplant this week.
Katya was a first-grader at Crestview School in Simi Valley. "She was an extraordinary girl fun, loving and just a beautiful girl," her mother said. "We are devastated."
The girl's mother said she doesn't blame anyone for the attack. "It was a terrible accident that should never have happened," Todesco said.
Simi Valley Police said they were not pursuing criminal charges in the attack.
The male pit bull mix was being held in quarantine and was almost certain to be euthanized, Ventura County Animal Regulation Director Kathy Jenks said.
Todesco said the dog belongs to someone other than her friend, who was taking care of it.
As of Monday, animal regulation investigators hadn't spoken to the dog's owner or to Todesco, Jenks said.
The only good pit bull is a dead one.
Heartbreaking. Just heart wrenching. Bless this angel Lord. Bless and comfort her family and friends as they grieve. Bless too the family with the pit bull and the dog. It is all so very sad.
Sigh. This little one’s family must be drowning in sorrow and grief. What a complete shame. Stories like this have caused me to never allow my little kids to even go near these types of dogs. If I was visiting a friend, who was taking care of a friend’s pit bull, I would probably just go home.
Wow, the mother is taking this a lot better than I would. I’d blame the dog and want to kill it with my own hands. I’d blame my own self for letting my small child be exposed to this danger. ack
I consider anyone that has a pitbull to be a creep. I wouldn’t want to be around such people.
Beautiful child, all gone. RIP.
I hate those damn pit bulls. My neighbors have them and they have gotten loose and nearly attacked an elderly neighbor (who had to call 911) and they’ve lunged at me and my cats as well.
this is heartbreaking and extremely infuriating at the same time.
If you kill a pit bull in self-defense with 12 gauge slugs, make sure that there are extra rounds in the magazine. ...just in case any drug zombies want to follow up on the pit bull attack.
Good pit bulls don’t make very interesting headlines.
When we first moved to California the first people we became friends with had two pit bulls. A male and a female. The male had been fought many times and was a scarred up mess. The female hated the male with a passion.
Occasionally the two would get in a fight and the only way they could be separated was a water hose at full pressure until they were nearly drowned.
Probably still in shock. I'll not type what I think of pitbulls and their owners.
There, better.
Why haven’t you killed it yet? I would...
We can’t all be creeps.
Are you talking about the dogs or the people? ;^)
And the owner...
Have you contacted animal control? That sounds like a bad situation...
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