4-year-old girl dies after dog attack

A 4-year-old girl was attacked and killed by a dog, apparently on the same day it was acquired by the family.

It happened Sunday afternoon about 4 p.m. in St. Joseph County, Michigan, at a home near Fish Lake. The dog was said to be a large Doberman mix.

“When they found that she passed, they covered up with a blanket,” said neighbor Kenneth Davis, who ran outside after hearing cries for help.

“They put her on the ground, they started doing CPR and she was turning blue, her face was,” said Kenneth’s wife Angela Davis. “But she said that 'KK' had a treat she was trying to give to the dog, and the dog sniffed at it and evidently after the second or third time sniffing, it lunged at her.”

Today, the dog was being held at the St. Joseph County Animal Control facility. Michigan law requires dogs involved in bite cases be held at least 10 days.

“They (the victim’s family) had just got that dog, probably hadn't had it five minutes,” said Becky Davis. “Yeah, the man had just left and she called him on the telephone and he come running right back here in his car.”

Becky Davis said the man who brought the dog to the home helped perform CPR on the girl.

The Davises used to babysit for the victim, and they consider her to be more of a granddaughter than a neighbor.

“She'd come over every time her mom worked, they got home and it wasn't dark, KK come over here and she tormented, she just loved, called him papa,” said Becky Davis.

“She was so much fun, just a joy to be with. She always 'papa' when she come and 'papa' when she left, and that made me feel so proud,” said Kenneth Davis. “She was my little girl.”

The victim’s mother was injured as well when she tried to get the dog off of her daughter, although the mother’s injuries are said to be non-life threatening.

According to the website dogsbite.org, there were 34 dog bite deaths nationwide in 2015. The victims included 14 children and 20 adults, and 82 percent of the cases involved pit bulls