Pit Bull that Bit 2-Year-Old in Concord is Euthanized, Girl in Stable Condition

The pit bull involved in yesterday's Rose Lane incident where authorities say the family dog mauled a 2-year-old has been euthanized and the girl is said to be in stable condition, according to reports.

The dog is said to have attacked the girl at a home in the 4300 block of Rose Lane at about 5 p.m, where authorities had a helicopter fly in and land at Cowell Road's to shuttle the toddler over to the Children's Hospital in Oakland.

Contra Costa County Animal Services euthanized the dog Tuesday morning and is working to determine whether it had rabies, the agency's acting deputy director Abe Gamez said today.

Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Lewis Broschard said the girl suffered injuries to her head, face and leg.

According to Gamez, the family has had the pit bull since before the girl was born.

Firefighter paramedics treated her at the scene and prepared her for transport by air ambulance to Oakland Children's Hospital, Broschard said.

Animal Services impounded the dog at the scene after its owners surrendered it, Gamez said. After the dog was euthanized, its remains were sent to the county health lab, which will conduct tests to determine whether it carried the rabies virus.

Although rabies may also be detected by quarantining the animal for 10 days and watching for symptoms, Gamez said animal services euthanizes a potentially infected animal for faster testing "wherever we have a case where the victim has suffered wounds to the head-face-neck area" because the virus, which affects the brain, has a shorter distance to travel.

Gamez said the results are expected within days.

- Bay City News contributed to this report.