SHERMAN TOWNSHIP, MI (WKZO-AM) -- St. Joseph County authorities say a 4-year-old girl was killed and her mother injured after being mauled by a dog a home between Centreville and Sturgis after 4 p.m. Sunday.
Resuscitation efforts were attempted as emergency crews arrived but the toddler could not be revived.
Sheriff Brad Balk says the mother required hospitalization for bites she suffered when the dog turned on her when she tried to protect the young girl. They had apparently just recently taken the dog into their home. Investigators will want to know where the dog came from.
The animal is said to be a Doberman or Doberman mix and it was removed from the home in the 63000 block of West Fish Lake Road in Sherman Township by St. Joseph County Animal Control. A dog involved in such an attack is typically quarantined to make sure its not rabid.
The animal attack remains under investigation. No names have been released.