Pit bull disfigures Ottawa toddler

OTTAWA — A 14-month-old girl is recovering in hospital after a pit bull terrier attacked her in an Ottawa home and had to be pried from her face.

Cali Leclair was rushed to hospital in serious but stable condition Sunday morning after being freed from the dog’s grip.

Neighbours said the toddler’s father, Tanner Longworth, had to wedge the animal’s jaws open with his hands.

The girl’s desperate mother, Christine Leclair, had been unable to free her daughter, who was attacked after moving to pet the black pit bull named Boss.

The dog had just joined the family. Neighbour Vicky Gibson, 30, said Christine Leclair took the pit bull into her home on Saturday in an attempt to rehabilitate the animal, which had a history of biting.

The dog, she said, was fine on the first day, but lashed out at Cali on Sunday morning.

Gibson rushed across the street when she heard the ambulance and was confronted by a scene of blood and tears inside the house. The dog had torn off much of the child’s nose. Leclair owns two large dogs of her own. Boss, the pit bull, had bitten the owner’s own child in the mouth, she said. But that unnamed owner didn’t want to put the dog down so Leclair agreed to look after it for a week.

According to initial reports from paramedics on scene, the pit bull had torn the girl’s nose from her face and had inflicted deep puncture wounds, some of which had exposed the bone beneath.

Ottawa police secured the animal and are investigating the incident

In Ontario, it’s illegal to own, import or breed an American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier or any similar breed. Under terms of the ban, which took effect in August 2005, people who already owned pit bulls were allowed to keep their animals, but had to ensure they were neutered or spayed.