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Fatal Dog Attack on South Carolina Child | Girl Mauled by Japanese Akita

Posted on Jan 25, 2011

A child of McCormick County South Carolina was mauled and killed in a dog bite attack caused by a Japanese Akita on Saturday according to the McCormick County Sheriff's department. The dog was purchased just 3 short weeks ago by the grandfather as a gift to his grandchildren. The animal was meant to be a family pet. 

Nine year old Kristen Lee Dutton was alone outside when the attack occurred. Her  brother saw her lying in the sand and alerted the grandfather. Little Kristen suffered puncture wounds to her neck and was pronounced dead at a local hospital in McCormick South Carolina. 

The dog was picked up on Monday by authorities. The animal was put to death and tested for rabies, said Crawford-Rivers. The picture shown below is an image of a 98 pound Akita.
 
The Japanese Akita was originally developed as a guard dog, then as a hunting dog and finally as a police dog. Today the dog is used as a family dog and a companion. While this dog is used as a family dog, there are precautions experts advise. This dog requires a lot of attention and cannot be ignored otherwise they will become resentful and even problematic with children. The article goes on to say that the dog should always be supervised around small animals and children. 

In a related story a 2 year old toddler in the UK was left scarred for life after the family dog; a Japanese Akita attacked the child in their home in January 2011.

It is important that before purchasing a new family dog that you research the breed and how they will react around children and other pets.

For information on protecting children from dog attacks, click here.  

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As a service to Charleston and all of the residents of South Carolina, Shelly Leeke Law Firm will often publish news stories pertaining to auto accidents and other relevant personal injury information as it occurs in South Carolina. We do this in an effort to educate South Carolinians about the common types of auto accidents and other accidents that occur in South Carolina and that can result in serious injuries and/or death.

Some accidents we may report include:

• Car Accidents
• Truck Accidents
• 18-Wheeler Accidents
• Accidents involving children
• Accidents at Work
• Dog Bite Accidents
• And other personal injuries

If you have been named in one of our news articles or blogs, or you are a family member or friend of an accident victim named on our website, and would like the article removed from our website, please do not hesitate to contact me personally, at Shelly@LeekeLaw.com and I will ensure that your request is adequately processed.

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