Washington police officers rescued an 11-year-old girl who was attacked and bitten by two dogs last week, shooting one of the canines.
The incident happened Friday at a house in Auburn, KCPQ-TV reports. Two dogs had escaped from a neighboring home and had cornered a girl.
The child used a broom to fend off the attacking dogs, but she was bitten on the arm by one of the canines.
When officers responded to the incident, the dogs turned their attention away from the girl and charged at them. That's when an officer opened fire, wounding the dog. The animal was later euthanized.
"When it happened, I was really scared, and I kinda had to think quick on how to protect myself," the girl told KCPQ.
The owner said he didn't know how the dogs got loose. They had been behind a locked backyard fence that also was chained. The dogs had not attacked or acted aggressively toward anyone before, according to the owner, who said the dog who was shot was a year old.
"I asked my daughter how she felt, you know, about the dogs, about what happened," the girl's father told KCPQ. "And she just said that she didn’t want anybody to kill those dogs, you know. Because she hears dogs get shot when they bite somebody, and 'cause she said she's seen those dogs grow up, and even knows their names."
