Baby-sitter rescues boy from dog attack

[ladawn]

Jan. 31, 2003, 8:37AM

Baby-sitter rescues boy from dog attack
Associated Press
NAVASOTA -- A dog mauled a 6-year-old Grimes County boy, nearly ripping his ear off before the boy's 13-year-old baby-sitter grabbed the dog by the collar and punched it in the face.

Family members told The Eagle of Bryan-College Station for today's editions that the attack happened as Caleb Orlando was walking to the porch of a neighbor's house.

The neighbor's Rottweiler-pit bull-mix dog broke free from a horse chain in the neighbor's yard, said Gerry Nobles, Caleb's grandmother.

Baby-sitter Keri Crawford was inside the neighbor's house when she heard the kindergartner scream and saw the dog attacking.

"'Save Caleb!' That's all I was thinking about," the 5-foot-3 teen said.

She said she yelled at the dog, it stopped, released the boy's head and looked up at her. The 100-pound dog then resumed attacking the boy.

Crawford said she jerked the dog by the collar and punched him in the face until he began to yelp. She then held the dog to the side to allow Caleb to move out the dog's reach. Then, she walked the boy back to his grandparents house.

"If the little girl hadn't done what she did, the doctors were telling me that the dog probably would have killed him," Caleb's grandmother said.

The boy was recovering Thursday at St. Joseph Regional Health Center, where he received more than 125 stitches around his head.

The dog was taken Thursday by Navasota animal control and put to death at the owner's request at the Beard-Navasota Veterinary Hospital, Grimes County Sheriff's Lt. Greg Eakens said.

Eakens said the district attorney's office will not file charges against the owners because the dog had no history of similar attacks and was fenced on its owner's property when the attack occurred.

"They had no idea that the dog had a temper like that," Eakens said.

[Carolina]

Thank god the kid is ok now!!

Originally posted by ladawn
She said she yelled at the dog, it stopped, released the boy's head and looked up at her. The 100-pound dog then resumed attacking the boy.

Crawford said she jerked the dog by the collar and punched him in the face until he began to yelp. She then held the dog to the side to allow Caleb to move out the dog's reach. Then, she walked the boy back to his grandparents house.

I don't know if that was amazingly brave or amazingly stupid!
At least it worked

Originally posted by ladawn
"They had no idea that the dog had a temper like that,"

Why not chain the owner and see if he develops that kind of temper??!!

Sadly another dog put down instead of the owner :(

[spidey]

I hope that baby sitter got one heck of a tip!

I believe that they probably DID have no idea that the dog had a temper like that, the dog probably lived outside on a chain and hardly ever interacted with the owners, so how would they know what its personality was like? At least the dog's not chained anymore.

[sable375]

WOW!! that babysitter has no fear! Good for her! Hope the baby will be ok and not scared of dogs b/c of this.

[Birdie'sMom]

Poor kid, poor dog!:(

rottweiler/pit bull mix - I'm sure the media loved that one!

No charges pressed against the owner!!