Toddler bitten in face by dog at uncle’s house: ‘We thought she was dead’

LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - A 2-year-old girl from Las Vegas is recovering after what her parents call a “vicious” dog attack that happened while the family was visiting a relative.

The parents of 2-year-old Lonie say they are counting their blessings after she was attacked by a dog while the family was staying at the girl’s maternal uncle’s house last week. He owns an extra-large American bully, KVVU reports.

“His confidence made us relax more. I felt that he knew what he was doing with his animal,” said Lonie’s mother, Tyreisha Hendrickson.

The family says they had been around the dog before, and it had always kept its distance. But during this visit, Hendrickson says she had just put Lonie down on the bottom of the steps when the dog, who had been outside, pushed through a couch barrier and ran toward her.

“When it caught her face, really, everything kind of just blurred at that moment. It felt so unreal,” said Lonie’s father, Richard McNeal.

The toddler’s parents say she was screaming while the dog had her face in its mouth. The animal did not let go immediately.

“The only thing I could hear is snarls and growls. It’s just vicious, honestly,” McNeal said.

Hendrickson put her hand in the dog’s mouth, and it eventually released. But Lonie’s parents both say they thought it was too late, as their daughter stopped making any noise.

“We thought she was dead,” McNeal said. “She had a blank stare at the sky.”

Lonie was rushed to the hospital, where she underwent emergency plastic surgery, according to the family’s GoFundMe. She is now recovering but will continue to need follow-up appointments.

The family says the dog was taken away by Clark County Animal Control.

“I think the dog needs to be put down because it’s definitely dangerous, and it was not provoked at all. There was no reason for it to do that,” McNeal said.

Just before the attack, Lonie’s parents say their other children were playing with the dog.

Cathy Brooks, a Las Vegas canine behaviorist, spoke to KVVU about what could make a dog attack.

“It’s like, ‘Oh, I’m all amped up. There’s a moving thing that’s the size of my toy. Maybe I should play with it,’” Brooks said.

Brooks emphasized she does not know either party involved and did not personally see what happened and simply gave her professional opinion.

“If I’m an owner of a power breed dog and there are children in my home, my dog is either closed away somewhere or I’m in the room where they are with the children. Period,” Brooks said.

She also suggested parents and families let children know to never crawl into a dog’s space or to put your hand out. If a dog does not come near you to smell you, then just leave it alone.

Once a dog attacks, the chances of it biting again are more than 50%, according to Brooks.

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