by Alan McBride
ORLANDO, FLA.
Orange County Sheriff's Deputies said they fired on a pit bull that had bitten a toddler on his face after the animal turned and charged at them Monday.
According to reports from the Orange County Sheriff's Office, the boy and his father had been playing in the back yard of their home when the dog attacked the 3-year-old boy.
Deputies said the father sustained injuries, as well.
The episode took place on the eastern side of Orange County, according to sheriff's office reports.
Sheriff's Deputies said they were dispatched to the house after they received a 911 call about the biting episode.
A spokesman for the sheriff's office said that the responding deputies had attempted to corral the animal and wait for animal control officers to take it into their custody.
According to a statement from the Orange County Sheriff's Office, the animal charged at the deputies and they responded by fatally shooting the dog.
The sheriff's office said the dog had no tags, so the ownership of the animal remains unknown.
Animal control officials took possession of the deceased animal and will likely conduct a necropsy to determine if the animal had rabies.
© 2010