5 Year Old Utah Girl Recovers After Being Attacked by Pit Bull
83
Every Parent's Worst Nightmare
Every parent’s worst nightmare is for something bad to happen to their child. The worry begins practically at the moment of conception and ends….well…it doesn’t. I always use to think that the challenges and worries of parenthood would get easier as the child got older. I have come to realize that nothing gets easier, it just gets different.
On April 19, 2010, Katie Weeks’ worst nightmare came true. Shortly after arriving home from school, Katie’s 5 year old daughter, Saleena Wickward, headed outside to play and search for caterpillars. In what seemed like a matter of seconds, Katie saw the next door neighbor’s pit bull (who was chained up in the yard) jump, heard her little girl scream, and before she knew it, little Saleena was in the powerful grips of the dog’s jaw, bleeding profusely from the face. Saleena was attacked on the right side of her face, completely exposing her jaw line. The dog owner’s teenage son pried the dog’s jaw open and pulled it away from Saleena, releasing her from the horrific grip.
Saleena was rushed to an area hospital, where she underwent a 6 hour surgery that involved nearly 900 stitches (that’s just the external number) and the work of two plastic surgeons to reattach the middle of Saleena’s lip, her nose and cheek and around her ear. A plate and screw were attached to stabilize her fractured cheek.
Since the horrific incident, dog owners and dog opponents alike have reacted with anger. While most have expressed sympathy and wishes for a speedy recovery, some have reacted with the sentiment that pit bulls are not fit animals to have as pets, saying they are naturally vicious and that negligent or improperly educated dog owners are just asking for a tragic incident like this to occur. Katie and her family do not express any ill will toward the dog’s owners. Regardless of your opinions on pit bulls, one simple fact is clear. Saleena’s life...and face were changed forever that fateful April day. We can debate until we are blue in the face who is to blame, but in the end, does it really matter? At the end of the debate, a little girl is still marred for life, a family forever touched by tragedy. Thankfully, Saleena survived the harrowing attack, but the scars, both physical and emotional, will remain forever. And now that the news has moved on to other stories and tragedies, little Saleena’s young family is left standing in the wake of the storm and has to figure out how to pick up the pieces.
Obviously, getting Saleena better is job one. Unfortunately, as is the case with so many Americans (at least 15% of the US population in 2006) Katie’s family does not have health insurance. As a fellow uninsured American, I cannot even begin to imagine the massive stress that Katie is now facing as she tries to figure out not only how she is going to afford the medical bills that were necessary to save her daughter’s life, but will also be necessary to reconstruct this sweet little girl’s smile. The family is now facing at least $500,000 in medical bills. A site has been set up where people can make secure donations to help offset the enormous medical costs that this family is now facing. Feel free to visit the site at http://pledgie.com/campaigns/11457 to make donations.
A facebook page with more photos of Saleena both before and after the attack is also available at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1788148787&ref=notif#!/PrayersForSaleena?ref=ts.
(Special thanks to Teri Burstedt and Katie Weeks for granting permission to share this story, as well as for providing me with accurate data regarding the incident.)
Saleena's story on Inside Edition
- News - Girl Attacked By Pit Bull - InsideEdition.com
A little girl suffered major injuries to when a pit bull attacked her in the face. INSIDE EDITION visits the family as she recovers from the traumatic incident.
CommentsLoading...
Thank you so much 50, you are so right, even if people just donated what they were going to spend on a latte today it would help! I just always think what I would do if it were my child! Thanks so much for reading and your kind words, I know the family appreciates it as well!
Get well soon little angel :-)
[ Remember, if you are bitten by a dog, be bitten in Europe. Medical care is ***FREE*** regardless of your status ]
How sad! I have the greatest sympathy for the poor little girl, her family - and even the dog. How these things happen is always a mystery to me and what is a 'good breed' and what is a 'bad breed' often sparks a lot of controversy. I always go by the belief that owners make or break the dog no matter what breed but pit bulls and their jaws are another thing entirely. Thanks for pointing out this tragic little girl's story and I hope we all can donate a bit!
The picture of Saleena on her birthday was so good to see. I certainly understand the extent of her injuries, both physical and emotional, so I was heartened to see she's still a beautiful little girl.
I'm so sorry to hear what happened to this sweet little girl. I will pray for her complete healing, both physical and emotional and also that all of her parents financial needs would be met. I wish I could do more.
jj, Audrey, Sheila and Cari, thanks so much for your prayers and thoughts! I know the family appreciates them all very much!
Hope she doing better
Thank you ebonyjackson
this is a horribly tragic story. i'm glad you hubbed about it. i pray the girl gets some help for her condition. she shouldn't be scarred physically for life (although i fear she may emotionally be, so i hope she gets some serious counseling). Is she suffering from PTSD?
i pray for the girl and her family....
Hi Johnnie, thank you for reading, I felt it was important to get the story out and help raise awareness, if we can prevent one more child from being injured, wouldn't that be great? I do believe that Saleena is getting counseling, and I know she has a huge support system as well.
Wisdom and Glory, thanks so much for your prayers, they mean a lot!
What a sad story. I hope the little girl recovers. This just goes to show why America needs a National Health Service like we have in the UK.
Thanks for stopping by and reading lizmoss71. While not a huge fan of the idea of socialized health care, I definitely agree that we need something other than what is currently in place!
Oh dear god,I can see her sadness in her eyes.
That poor child.
My brother in law recently had to leave town for work and asked us to take care of his pit bull. I hate to say no to him for anything but she is a pit, who just had pups, and was separated from them, and we have two very little kids. I just could not risk that.
DaniS74, you have to do what you think is best for your kids, and I firmly believe that no "expert" can teach you anything better than a mother's instinct!
I think that this hub is fantastic, you have wrote a great report and should be proud of yoursef and all the work you have put in to help that little girl. I do feel stongly on the subject of dog or owner however as it has been said in earlier posts, that should be left to another hub!
This is a very sad story. Thanks for sharing this. I think that dog owners are responsble for thier dog's actions. I own a Rottweiler, which is a large, powerful dog. I have spent countless hours trainng and socializing the him. Anyone who chosses to own a dog should take the time necessary to work their dog. And no dog should ever be left outside on a chain.
You did a great job on this hub! Voted up and awesome.
Thank you KD and Shawn! I am hoping that this hub will help raise awareness about responsible pet ownership!
my prayers to the girl.
sadly the owner of the pit will not be nuetered. but since he or she already has a child, its to late anyway.
I own a pit, who is laying here at the moment licking the cat clean. best behaved dog around accept for the occasional opening the fridge to snack.
its all in how they are raised just like people. and never forget they are animals.
good hub. Wish I could help that kid out.
Thanks for reading outdoorsguy. You are so right, it's all in how they are raised, just like people. I have not been able to verify as of this date what actions was taken, if any, against the dog's owners. It was a horrible accident and I think at this point, the family just wants to get on with their lives and get Saleena all of the medical intervention she needs. Thanks again for reading, and for being a responsible pet owner!
Why do we continue around the world reinventing the wheel, meaning some dogs are bread for pets and some for violence, we as a society are always Re-learning in life cycles, the innocent are the ones to pay, If you own a dog or any animal like this one , wake up....any second it can kill , If you drive drunk ,you can kill, if you play with dynamite ........
the pictures look really hurts in my heart
Ok first off I am so sorry this had to happen to this little girl. Second off its not the dogs fault, if the owners were responsible this would have never happened. Do any of you people bad mouthing these dogs realize that American Pit Bull Terriers used to be called the nanny dog? Another question...how come my mother in laws Jack russell attacked a little girl and the attack was worse than this, and yet the dog didn't get in trouble nor did it make the news, but the second a APBT bites a person its everywhere? Hating a breed is racism. It is equal to saying "I got robbed by (insert a race here), so all the people of that race should be responsible!" I have a APBT who has been trained and socialized properly and would never hurt anyone (unless its someone harming me or my children), my lillte sister accidently tripped and her whole hand went in my dogs butt, and my dog didn't get mad. The nieghbor kids were getting chased by a very aggressive chihuahua and my dog went and scared the chihuahua away and walked the kids home. But did any of you hear about that on the news? No. So please don't bad mouth the breed, bad mouth the irresponsible owners.
Jaz, thank you for stopping by, reading and commenting. Actually, though, after looking through all of the comments left on this post, I don't see one person who has blamed the pit bull breed. It seems to be a general consensus that irresponsible dog owners are much more to blame than any particular breed. There are irresponsible dog owners out there with poodles that are just as bad. As I mentioned in the article, my intent was not to give pit bulls, (or ANY dogs) a bad name. My intent was mostly to help raise awareness of the consequences of irresponsible pet ownership, and to drive traffic to the donation site so this little girl can receive the medical care she needs. I don't see anyone on this post who has bad mouthed the breed. (Although I certainly did see a lot of that while researching this article. That is precisely why I chose to avoid that approach. I think it's counterproductive and detracts from the focus of this story.) Thanks for being a responsible pit bull owner, I for one appreciate it!
i m sorry to hear about this little girl may God recover her soon
Thank you lahoriamplifier, for your kind words!
Thanks for shining a light on this issue, Bucky. For me, the bottomline comes down to one thing. If you have some that must be "chained" in your backyard, you should be in violation of a law. No one should be allowed to keep an animal chained on their property for there is no reason to do it. They do it because the animal is dangerous and they know it. In this case, a small, innocent child has had her life damaged along with her physical appearance. That should be enough. I do not bear these animals any ill will. It is not the animals that are the problems; its the humans that own them. Cities and towns must create laws that stop this situation from happening. Yes, you can still do it illegally but making it illegal will drastically reduce the occurrence. I have to think that the people who had this dog in their backyard on a chain would rationally stop and look at what happened and realize it was not this girls fault; it was not the animal's fault; it was their fault for creating the opportunity. This needs to stop. WB
You are right Wayne, there should never be a reason to chain anything up. If you need it chained, why did you want it in the first place? Thanks for stopping by and reading, it's always a pleasure!
From a financial perspective, it seems to me that the owners of the dog should bear the responsibility. If they have homeowner's insurance, it should be covered. Even if they don't, they should be held accountable.
imagirl2: I agree with you. I imagine that unfortunately, though, the lawyers will keep it in litigation for years and years.
This makes me so sick. I wrote a hub last year specifically on Pit Bulls. I just do not get the fascination.
Things like this just break my heart. :-(
drchris and Isadora: It is heartbreaking isn't it? The good news is that Saleena has a fabulous support system and is moving on with life, hopefully this will help raise awareness so this doesn't have to happen to another child! Thanks so much for reading guys!
When a dog is on a chained in their backyard doesn't mean that the animal is a dangerous animal. I use to have two dogs that were labs. We use to chain them up so they won't run away not because they were dangerous. My dog coco was the freindly dogs. everytime my mom took him to the vet everyone want him. Midnight on the other hand was protect. Everyone that look at would walk away fast, but doesn't mean he dangerous. Midnight baking at males beacuse Midnight loves female. He didn't like males so much. He and his brother would defend my sisters if they were beening attack by another dog or human because Midnight and coco loves us so much he they would give their life from us. Dog that on a chained is not the reason they become dangerous animal. The reason animal because dangerous is human don't spend time with their animal. Bulldog are not bad dog. When I was six year old I had four girl bulldog they were like sister to me because I was only child at the time. We had to take them to a shelther because their fur was falling out. We couldn't pay for the vet bill that would of cure them so give them up. I was crying so hard because they like sister to me, but I known they need that medical.So let them go.
Thank you saphiregirl1 for stopping by and reading. I think the most important part to remember here is responsible pet ownership. I think most experts would agree that simply chaining a dog does not create violence. Pet ownership is no different than parenting in a way. If you do it responsibly, consistently and with love, you will reap the rewards. If not, you will have to deal with the consequences.
Pits and staffs are the cuddliest, sweetest, luvvy-duvvy, huggy-duggy, goog-ga-ga, wuzzer-softies on the face of the earth; as far as their owners are concerned.
...Untill they're big enough to rip someone's face off without warning or provocation, as is in their genes.
Then the real tragedy is that it's some innocent victim's face instead of the owner's.
As for the smoke-screen question, 'is it the owner or the dog?' - GET REAL: IT'S BOTH!
50 Caliber Level 7 Commenter 22 months ago
A tragedy for sure, I'll not debate any on the dog as you pretty much put it in a can and there it should stay for another hub.
I will send prayers and visit the sight for donations to help with the important part of this be it a car wreck or dog wreck it matters not.
Getting the little girl back to a normal life is what is important here. I commend you for making this hub to help the little girl and I hope that all who read it take the time and make a donation of what they can give to help, be it 10 or a 100 just any will do at a time like this. I'll skip some of my extravagance and eat at home or drop a few cases of beer and send the money to her.
Excellent hub!, 50