Posted on May 27, 2010

A 3-year old was attacked and mauled by his grandmother’s pit bull dog in Ormond Beach yesterday — and this is not the first time that this child has been mauled by this dog.  According to WKMG in Orlando, the young child was playing on the floor while being watched by his grandmother at her home, when the child reached out and grabbed the dog.  The grandmother’s pit bull responded by biting the child several times on the left side of the head.  The boy suffered several deep laceration on the his head and one on his forehead.

Instead of calling 911, the grandmother took the child to the emergency room herself, along with the go.  While he was being treated there, doctors noticed an older scar on the child’s left cheek.  It was at that time that it was revealed that the dog had previously bitten the child in the face.  The grandmother indicated that she brought the dog alone because she was worried that one of her upsets relatives would kill the dog.

WKMG reported that the child’s mother was livid, and that she had been under the impression that the dog was going to be left outside while her son was at the grandmother’s house.

As a lawyer, I wonder whether the child (through his parents) has a claim against his grandmother under the Florida dog bite statute.  As a parent, I am wondering why the child’s mother would allow him to stay at the grandmother’s house knowing that this known violent animal was still there.

Where do you land on this dilemma?