AL: Brundidge Girl recovering from dog attack

AL: Brundidge Girl recovering from dog attack
Published Apr 17, 2008 - 22:03:53 CDT.
By JAINE TREADWELL, The Messenger

Katye Murphy, 10, is recovering from a vicious attack by a family pet, an 85-pound Rottweiler, on April 7 at her home in Brundidge.

Ken Andress, Katye's granddad and Troy animal control officer, said Katye went out to feed the dog as she had done many times before. "She walked in the pen and turned her back, maybe to close the gate, and, with no warning, the dog attacked her from behind," Andress said. " He knocked her down and chewed up her right ear and damaged it really bad. She had lacerations on her right shoulder, a puncture wound on her back, a three-inch cut on the back of her head and the thumb and forefinger on her left hand were torn."

Katye's sister, Sierra Murphy, 12, was in the yard and saw the attack and screamed for her mom and dad, Kim and Angus Murphy. "As soon as Angus ran in the pen, the dog stopped the attack," Andress said. "They didn't have any trouble getting him away from her."

Katye's injuries were extensive, taking 200 stitches to close. "We have no idea why the dog attacked Katye," Andress said. "They had had the dog named Rock, about a month and a half and he had never shown any signs of aggression. He was used to them coming in the pen to feed him. There was no indication that he would do anything like that. We just don't know why."

The Rotweiller had been at the Troy Animal Shelter for about two weeks when the Murphy family got him. "He had shown no signs of aggression there," Andress said. "You could pet him while he was eating. He never was aggressive in any way. If he had been, I would never have let them take him."

The Rotweiller was "put down" and tested for rabies. The test was negative.

Katye had the stitches removed on Wednesday and is doing well, her granddad said.
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