COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — A Coweta County family is upset after they said a neighbor's dog attacked two kids on two different occasions. One of those children, their young daughter, ended up in the hospital.
Charles and Meghan Swann said the incident happened six months ago, when their 10-year-old found a stray dog in a neighbor's driveway. She and her sisters went to notify the neighbor, when a dog inside the home jumped out and pounced on the 10-year-old, Meghan Swann said.
"I just kept breathing and praying," she said. “I was covered in blood, and I’m trying to talk to [my daughter], she passes out twice.”
She said an ambulance rushed her daughter to the hospital, where it took at least 30 stitches to treat the wound.
Coweta County Animal Control said they were called immediately following the dog attack. Officials told 11Alive they issued citations and a fine to the dog owners and declared the dog vicious.
In a statement, Animal Control said: “There are allegations regarding whether or not the dog has been inside or outside, so we are actively patrolling the neighborhood and continuing to closely monitor this situation.”
State law dictates "vicious" dogs are to be kept in a confined outdoor space. The dog owners said they are in compliance with Animal Control, but the Swanns said it's not enough. They are calling on county and state leaders to take a more aggressive and disciplinary approach when it comes to controlling vicious animals.
"There are 187 homes in this neighborhood," Meghan Swann said. "We are filled with elderly and children who walk this neighborhood daily. Nothing will prevent this dog from getting out the front door again, and that’s where the attack happened. It’s just been one slap on the hand to another.”
Her husband said the family has been compensated by insurance. However, Charles Swann said another child was bitten by the same dog over a year ago. The dog owners told 11Alive there was another incident, but they would not go into detail.
Charles Swann said after this latest incident involving his daughter, he hopes no one else in the neighborhood experiences what she did.
“My children are just terrified to go outside," he said. "I’m sleeping in between an air mattress between our two oldest ones. My wife is sleeping on the king bed between two of the other ones. Our life is in a tailspin.”
“This type of dog with bite histories, it’s not a matter of if but when, and they progressively get worse," Meghan Swann said. “Is it going to take a child dying? Is it going to take someone losing an arm? What is it going to take for action to truly happen?”