A one-year-old baby has been transported to a Durban facility for treatment and observations after being bitten by a family dog this morning.

Private emergency services dRK EMS said they received a call at approximately 08:00 about a child who was bitten by a dog.

Cait Hagerman from the services said paramedics arrived at a private residence in Hillary and discovered a one-year-old baby boy had been bitten by the family’s Pit bull.

According to Hagerman, it is alleged that the dog had been kept separate from the family as it was known to bite, however, it got out of its closure when a household member opened the door by mistake.

He says the parent of the baby was able to get the victim away from the Pit bull safely, and no other members of the household were injured.

“The baby was assessed and found to have sustained a significant bite and was stabilised on scene by dRK EMS paramedics.

“The family managed to get the dog back into its enclosure safely after the incident. They have contacted the SPCA for advice and will be deciding their next steps regarding the dog,” explains Hagerman.

Other dog attacks

This dog attack follows three other incidents recently.

Last week, a school employee was seriously injured when he shielded a young child from a Pit bull attack outside a Durban school.

Two weeks ago, a three-year-old boy was attacked by a dog on The Bluff while walking on a road with his caregiver.

Also recently, two people sustained critical injuries following a dog-biting incident in Parkhill, Durban North. It was reported that paramedics arrived at the residence and found that a dog had bitten a 54-year-old male domestic worker while he was cleaning the yard.

The owner of the residence came out of the house to try to stop her dog, but the dog bit her too. She sustained severe injuries to both her legs.