The attack happened Saturday at 209 Maple Street in Cardiff, a five year old was bitten several times by a yellow pit bull in his own yard.
"And did some serious damage to him to his scalp and I think to his torso and one of his arms. And thank God somehow the little boy got away and went inside," said Lt. Randy Christian. "And the neighbor went over and shot and killed the dog, and kept him from attacking anybody else."
The child identified as, Hunter Aldridge, was taken to Children's Hospital where a hospital spokesperson says his condition has been upgraded from fair to good.
As for the animal it had been running loose in the area and Lt. Christian says they are still looking for the owner. He says it's not the first attack involving a pit bull in Jefferson County in recent months.
"We had a situation a couple of weeks ago in the Centerpoint area where a pit bull jumped a fence and attacked this elderly woman's dog. She tried to separate it and it turned on her and sent her to the hospital," said Lt. Randy Christian.
Some people who live in the Cardiff area say loose dogs are everywhere and some are worried about their loved ones.
"My mom's by herself here and you know a pit bull, she can't fight off a dog, pit bull or anything. She's too small or fragile and sure I'm concerned about here safety," said Paul Kilgore.
Others say it's not the breed that's to blame, but bad training or no training from irresponsible owners. "I'm not it depends on how you train them. You know what I mean If you train them out to be mean and vicious then they will be, but I'm personally not afraid of them," said Kristy Echols.
The Sheriff's Office is asking the public for any information about the owner or owners of the yellow pit bull. Lt. Randy Christian says they could be held responsible for the child's hospital bills and could possibly face charges.
