Dog at Animal Shelter Bites 3-Year-Old

BARBERTON, Ohio – A toddler was attacked by a dog at the Summit County Animal Shelter and the mother is calling for change in the way they test and flag aggressive dogs.

Three-year-old Jacob suffered a huge gash on the front of his leg and a deep gash on the back of his calf.

“All of the sudden, out of nowhere, no growling, no barking, the dog jumped up and bit my son’s leg,” said his mother, Shelly Inman of Barberton.

Inman said her boyfriend, Brant Jacobs, was carrying her son at the Summit County Animal Shelter Wednesday, when she says a Rottweiler mix jumped up and bit the toddler’s leg.

“The workers at the facility had told us it was very good with children. It was a very good family dog,” Inman said.

Inman said a shelter worker took them and the dog into a fenced area, and the dog seemed friendly at first.

“A worker had been outside walking a dog alongside of the fence we were at and she had taken the worker that was outside with us aside and said, ‘Hey, that dog is not supposed to be outside visiting with people because it had food aggression and also dog aggression,’” Inman said.

“Jacob flashed a blanket around and the dog kind of barked a little so I was like, ‘It’s time to go now,’” Jacobs said.

They said the shelter worker had the dog on a leash and was walking behind them when it happened.

“I started heading towards the door. I had Jacob in my arms at that point and I felt like a little tug and I looked down and Jacob’s leg is covered in blood and it’s gashed really bad,” Jacobs said.

Inman said her son got 15 stitches and is traumatized.

She hopes the shelter creates a way to flag aggressive dogs, such as a sign on the cage.

Jason Dodson, the chief of staff for the Summit County executive’s office, said when the dog came to the shelter it did not show any signs of aggressive behavior.

The dog was then put up for adoption.

Dodson said now the dog will be quarantined for ten days and then put down.

He would not comment further because Inman has filed a lawsuit.

Inman wishes she never took Jacob to the shelter.

“I hope that other people can learn by our experience that just because somebody says a dog can be trusted doesn’t mean that it can be trusted,” Inman said.