FLORISSANT, Mo. — Three members of a Florissant family were taken to the hospital Monday night after a dog they were looking after got aggressive and lashed out.
Florissant Police said the attack happened around 6:30 Monday evening on the 1500 block of Loveland Drive.
All four members of the family live in the home, including 13- and 16-year-old children. Both of the teenagers and one of the adults had to be taken to the hospital for severe bites to their forearms and legs.
5 On Your Side visited the house, hoping to speak to the family, but found a "Not Approved for Occupancy" sticker on the front window, with Monday's date.
The City of Florissant declined to comment on the condemning of the house.
"He heard the sirens and saw the ambulance and the fire trucks and a bunch of police go down there," said Mindy Boyer, whose father lives directly behind the house in question.
Mindy was coming over to visit when she saw all of the flashing lights, Monday night.
"I saw the dad with the wraps on his arm, but other than that, I couldn't tell what actually happened," she says.
Florissant Police tell us the dog is an American Bulldog-Pit Bull mix. Mindy says the dog always seemed friendly to her.
"It always seemed like it was happy, wanted to play. My dad at one point reached over the fence and started licking him, jumped up on the fence," she says.
Florissant police confirmed the dog is now in the custody of animal control. Mindy has heard it wasn't even the family's dog.
"That they got it from somebody they knew that could not handle it anymore, so they took it in so they could foster it until they could find it a home so it didn’t have to go into a shelter," Boyer said.
Mindy is a longtime dog owner and groomer. She said the encounter is a good reminder that you should always do your homework before you adopt.
"Picking up a rescue of any breed, you need to get as much information as possible. The history of the dog, as much as possible. Make sure it’s had temperament testing," she said.
She recommends using a verified rescue shelter that can help you decide on the temperament of the dog so that something like this never happens again.
"If there’s anything not right, then don’t get that dog," she says.
5 On Your Side reached out to the City of Florissant about the dog attack. A representative of the Mayor's office tells us, they will not comment until the police report is complete.
