A dog forced its way into a mobile home in Midlothian, Texas, on Sunday night and mauled a 1-year-old child and an adult woman, leaving both victims covered in blood and the toddler hospitalized with what officers described as severe injuries.
The attack happened around 9:15 p.m. at Pecan Acres Mobile Park, and it was bad enough that a police officer ended up behind the wheel of an ambulance — just to free up both medics to work on the boy during the ride to the hospital. That detail alone tells you something about how serious this was.
What Officers Found at the Scene
When Midlothian Police arrived, they were met with a grim picture. “Upon arrival, they found an adult female holding a small child,” the department noted in a news release. “Both were ‘covered in blood’ per officers, and the child appeared severely injured.” The woman, identified as 30-year-old Kelsey Welch of Midlothian, told police that an unknown dog — possibly a bull terrier — had entered their home and attacked them both.
How it got inside isn’t entirely clear. What is clear is that officers managed to secure the animal in a back room of the residence before Animal Control arrived and took custody of it. The dog is now in the care of authorities while investigators work to track down its owner.
An Officer Took the Wheel
It’s an unusual detail, but it speaks to the urgency of the moment. With the child’s injuries demanding immediate, hands-on attention, one Midlothian officer climbed into the driver’s seat of the ambulance so that both medics could focus entirely on the toddler during transport. “One of our officers drove the ambulance to Midlothian Methodist Medical Center so both medics could tend to the boy,” Scott Brown, a representative for the Midlothian Police Department, said in a news release.
The child was taken to Midlothian Methodist Medical Center. The current condition of the boy has not been publicly disclosed, and it’s unclear whether he was transferred to a larger trauma facility.
Investigation Ongoing
Still, a lot of questions remain unanswered. Who owns the dog? How did it get into the home? Was it known to the family, or was this a random encounter? Authorities haven’t said, and as of the time of reporting, “the investigation is continuing,” according to the department’s release.
The breed identification — possibly a bull terrier — is tentative, and no charges have been announced. Identifying the dog’s owner will likely be central to any legal action that follows.
A toddler, a Sunday night, and a door that apparently wasn’t enough to keep danger out. Whatever comes next in this investigation, that part of the story is already hard to shake.
