An 8-year-old girl that was attacked by a pit bull in Manteca on Sunday evening may soon be released from Oakland Children’s Hospital.
Shortly before 7 p.m. on Sunday night dispatchers received a call that a young girl had been bitten by a large dog on the 200 block of Almond Avenue, and had sustained injuries. Because the immunization record of the animal, which was also not registered with Animal Control Services, could not be located, the girl was taken to Oakland Children’s Hospital while the animal was quarantined for observation.
The name of the girl has not been released, and the owners of the animal have not been publicly identified.
According to Manteca Police Department Sergeant Mike Aguilar, a preliminary investigation by the city’s animal control officers have led them to believe that the girl walked up into the yard of the dog when the incident occurred.
Because that particular animal had no history of being aggressive – there were no other incidents on file pertaining to threatening behavior – the owners of the dog will, if the dog clears the quarantine period, get the chance to bring it up to date with all of the shots and pay all of the penalties and fees associated with it. When asked about whether the animal was being considered for euthanasian, Aguilar said that it was unlikely if the owners were to follow the proper legal steps to bring the animal current with the existing city code.
The injuries sustained by the young girl were considered to be non-life-threatening, and while serious her condition was never determined to be critical. As of the last update, Aguilar said, doctors were still waiting to see whether anything had revealed itself during Manteca’s 10-day mandatory quarantine that would require additional treatment, and noted that she could be released from the hospital to recover at home soon.
Manteca does have a breed specific ordinance regarding pit bulls which requires that all residing within the City of Manteca be spayed or neutered – unless the owner can prove that they are a registered dog breeder. For the purpose of the ordinance, a “pit bull” is any dog that is a Bull Terrier, American Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Miniature Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier or any “dog extinguishing those characteristics that conform to specific standards established by the American Kennel Club or the United States Kennel Club for those specific breeds.”
The council adopted the stricter rules after a series of seven vicious dog attacks in 2007 included mostly pit bull breeds. 

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.