A 15-month-old girl from Rhode Island who was fatally mauled by a family dog on Thursday has been identified as Scarlett Pereira, according to the toddler’s obituary.
“Scarlett will always be remembered as a happy little girl that brought joy & happiness to everyone she met,” the baby girl’s obituary reads.
“She was strong, feisty, smart, and loved to sing & dance. Bath time was especially her favorite; chewing on a washcloth and splashing around made her giggle!” it continued. “She loved her family very much. Scarlett was the sunshine in our lives. She will forever be our ‘Scarly Girl.'”
Scarlett was having lunch in the backyard of her grandparent’s home when the family dog attacked her just before 3 p.m. on Thursday, WPRI reported, which described the dog as a “a pit bull-type breed.”
“The baby was on the ground roaming freely and the dog, in the fenced-in backyard, was also roaming freely. As far as we know, it was an unprovoked attack,” East Providence Police Chief William Nebus said, reported WJAR.
“It’s hard because even a family dog, a family-friendly dog, can suddenly lash out for whatever reason,” he added.
Responding East Providence police and fire officials attempted life-saving care to the girl prior to transporting her to Hasbro Children’s Hospital where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival due to “significant injuries from the dog attack,” police said in a statement.
Two family members of Scarlett had also been transported to a Rhode Island hospital for injuries sustained by the family dog after they attempted to rescue the girl from the attack.
The pit bull was injured as well after family members intervened in the incident, attempting to save the baby girl. Police managed to euthanise the dog upon arrival with the assistance of East Providence Animal Control, according to a separate statement.
“At this time we are not aware off any prior incidents involving this dog, but the case remains under investigation by the East Providence Police Detective Division and East Providence Animal Control,” police said.
In support for Scarlett’s parents, a GoFundMe page was set up by a family member named Caitlin DeAngelis, who said his “former brother in law and his wife had their baby girl TRAGICALLY taken from them.”
Research On Dog Bite Incidents
About 1,000 U.S. citizens require emergency care treatment for serious dog bite injuries on a daily basis, according to Dogsbite.org.
Annually, about 9,500 citizens are hospitalized due to dog bite injuries.
In a 13-year analysis, the website says that of 433 fatal dog attacks in the United States, pit bulls contributed to 66 percent, or 284 deaths. Rottweilers, the second on the list, inflicted 10 percent of attacks that resulted in human death, the report says. German shepherds accounted for 4.6 percent of fatal attacks. Mixed-breed dogs accounted for 3.9 percent and the American bulldog was next at 3.5 percent, the report said. Mastiffs and Bullmastiffs accounted for 3.2 percent of deaths. Last on the list were Huskies, which accounted for 3 percent of fatal attacks.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children are more likely than adults to be bitten by a dog and when their injuries can be more severe. Over half of dog bite injuries occur at home with dogs that are pets of their victims.
“As the number of dogs in the home increases, so does the likelihood of being bitten. Adults with two or more dogs in the household are five times more likely to be bitten than those living without dogs at home,” the agency stated. “Among adults, men are more likely than women to be bitten by a dog.”