Children Attacked by Dogs Sustain Serious Injuries

The month began badly for a family from California. On February 1 a woman and her three children were walking along a set of train tracks in San Bernardino County, about 55 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, when a pack of dogs escaped from their enclosure and tore into the children.

The oldest girl, who is eight, suffered leg and arm injuries. Her seven-year-old brother required 237 staples to close a wound in his leg, according to authorities.

However, it was the youngest child who suffered the most vicious attack—a five-year-old girl who was holding her mother's hand as the family strolled alongside the tracks. One of the dogs, identified by Fontana police Sgt. Jeff Decker as a mastiff, lunged at the girl and pulled her away from her mother, tossing the child around "like a rag doll," the officer said.

According to an Associated Press report, the girl suffered a punctured lung, broken ribs and numerous bites. She remained hospitalized in critical condition and was breathing with the help of a ventilator.