Klamath Falls, Ore. – A 10-year-old girl from Klamath Falls is in the hospital tonight, following a dog attack.
Police say the girl was severely injured playing with Mastiff dogs in a neighbor’s yard shortly after 9:00 Thursday night.
“It’s just really terrible, because apparently the girl plays with these dogs from time to time, and that’s what she was doing last night,” said Klamath County Sheriff Chris Kaber. “When the father went to check on her, he found that she’d been mauled, for lack of a better word by one or all of the dogs – we’re not sure.”
The incident has shaken the neighborhood near Shasta Way and Dayton Street.
Neighboring resident Danielle Kilgore said, “It’s really unfortunate, because she’s like my third kid. And we’ve been really worried about those dogs ever since we’ve seen them, because I mean, they’re really big.”
The girl was flown to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. Her condition is not available, but KSCO described her initial injuries as severe.
Klamath County Animal Control and sheriff’s deputies are working together on the investigation.
According to Sherfiff Kaber, “It’s not a criminal investigation, but just to document the tragedy, and our officers were there, so we’ll be writing reports, and we’ve been in touch with the district attorney just to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.”
The girl’s name has not been released.
Sheriff Kaber said, “We hope that she has a good recovery, and we hope to see her home soon.”
The dog owner has been cooperating fully with investigators.
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