A bull mastiff that attacked a child for the second time in 18 months was euthanized Monday after its owners turned it over to McHenry County Animal Control, an agency spokeswoman said.
The dog’s owners were not cited in the attack, which occurred Sunday as a 13-year-old girl from Texas was visiting a home in Woodstock.
The girl was flown by helicopter to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where she underwent surgery on her face and left hand, said Debra Quackenbush, spokeswoman for the McHenry County Department of Health.
Animal Control is a unit of the health department.
The girl was playing with the 2-year-old dog when it bit her, Quackenbush said. The dog’s registration and vaccinations were up-to-date, she said.
In December 2005, an 11-year-old girl was injured in a similar attack, Quackenbush said. At that time, the dog was placed under observation for 10 days, but its owners decided against relinquishing it to officials, Quackenbush said.
