Fruitland Park K-9 Mauls Nine-Year-Old Girl

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on August 25, 2015

K-9 dogs are meant to protect and serve but sometimes they are too aggressive. They will attack innocent people, often causing serious, even life-threatening injuries.

On June 17, a young girl was attacked by a K-9 dog in Fruitland Park, Florida. According to various media reports, Wildwood Police Officer Douglas Pelton took his K-9 dog, Doki, home to his house. He let the dog play in the backyard and went into the house.

A seven-year-old girl lived next door. She saw the dog, a Belgian Malinois, playing on the other side of the fence. The girl reached through the fence to pet the animal, but it growled and attempted to bite her. The girl stepped back from the fence, but the two-year-old dog jumped the fence and brutally attacked her. Officer Pelton heard the girl screaming and ran outside. He immediately commanded the animal to stop attacking the girl.

During the attack, the girl suffered serious injuries. She was bleeding from the neck as a result of a puncture wound. She also suffered injuries to her lower body and face.

The woman’s mother called 911. Emergency crews responded, and the girl was initially stabilized as a local firehouse. She was later transported to Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital. A spokesman’s for the sheriff’s office said none of the injuries were life-threatening.

The K-9 dog was suspended from duty while the police department investigates the incident. It is being held at an animal control facility. The dog is the Wildwood Police Department’s first K-9 officer. He had been with the department for about a year. The animal was trained to seek and find drugs. The department gave no timeline on when or if the dog would return to duty. A spokesman for the police department said the agency’s goal was to guarantee the public’s safety.

Neighbors said the animal was known to be aggressive when people approached the fence, but many were not aware that the animal was a police dog. They thought it was just a pet.

If you or a loved one has been injured during a Florida dog attack, contact the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham, P.A. immediately at 877-FL-INJURY (877-354-6587) for a free initial consultation.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.