5-year-old recovering following dog attack

A Union County girl is recovering after being treated for wounds she sustained when she was attacked by a dog while playing in her front yard.

Five-year-old Morgyn Dedmon was treated and released from Medical Center of South Arkansas following the attack Tuesday afternoon.

Her father, David Dedmon, said Morgyn was in the front yard of their residence in the 100 block of Partridge Drive when the dog emerged from a wooded area nearby.

Dedmon said the dog approached Morgyn and a neighbor as the girls played.

“He wasn’t aggressive at first. He trotted up to her and the little girl who lives next door, and then, he jumped on (Morgyn),” David Dedmon said. The incident occurred at approximately 4:15 p.m. Tuesday.

David Dedmon said his wife and the neighbor’s mother were outside at the time, and the other girl’s mother pulled the dog off Morgyn.

David Dedmon, who was inside the residence at the time, said he rushed outside when he heard a commotion and saw that Morgyn’s face and shirt were covered with blood.

“It was pretty severe. We didn’t realize how bad it was until we started washing the blood off her,” he said.

The family then drove Morgan to Medical Center of South Arkansas, where she received nearly 20 stitches for wounds underneath her right eye, left jaw, and arm.

“The worst of it was two bad gashes on her scalp that they were not able to stitch,” David Dedmon said.

“She was fixed up at the hospital. She’s still sore and shook up, but she’ll heal,” he said. “She’s still got a few more doctor’s appointments.”

David Dedmon said his wife had first seen the dog the previous night when it walked out of the wood line that borders a large pasture that adjoins the front yard.

“No one had ever seen the dog before. That was the first time anyone had seen it

around here,” he said.

Union County sheriff’s deputies were summoned to the scene, and with the help of neighbors, they were able to find the dog.

Area Animal Control Officer Charles Hartsell, who contracts with several local municipalities to provide animal control services, was also called to the scene.

Hartsell and his team took the dog, which he described as a Blue Heeler mix. The team is working with a local veterinarian to have the dog tested for rabies.

An investigation is still under way to confirm the owner of the dog, Hartsell said.

Union County does not have a leash or tether law. Hartsell said dogs are free to roam on and off their owners’ property.

However, dog owners are legally responsible for any damage or harm a dog may cause off their property.

While loose dogs can be a nuisance, Hartsell cautioned citizens about how to handle a situation if they encounter a dog on their property.

“You can’t shoot a dog for just running across your yard. A dog has to either be dangerous or vicious or tearing up your property,

harming livestock or something like that,” Hartsell said.

David Dedmon praised sheriff’s deputies and Hartsell for assisting him and his family.

“We’re all right. She’s (Morgyn) scared. We’ve got two puppies that she’s used to playing with, so she’s not used to mean dogs,” he said.

“It was really scary, and it makes you think about stuff like that a lot more,” David continued. “You don’t expect a crazy dog to come out of the woods and attack your daughter.”