Baby girl hurt in vicious dog attack

An 11-month-old baby girl remained at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Thursday after she and her mother were attacked by a vicious dog inside an Upper Darby home.

Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said the baby suffered more than 20 bite marks but, based on her non-life-threatening condition, was “very lucky it wasn’t worse.”

When police arrived at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, an officer used a ladder to retrieve the baby through a second-floor window. One police officer got bit by another animal while checking to see if anybody was trapped; that dog was Tasered.

Both dogs were taken by Upper Darby Animal Control and transferred to the Delaware County SPCA, where they remained Thursday afternoon. The SPCA’s Dayna Villa refuted reports that the dogs were pitbulls; one is a boxer, one a boxer/pitbull mix, she said. Since they’re not strays, the SPCA likely won’t keep them much longer.

No charges have been filed, but police are looking into whether Animal Control has had other issues with the dogs. Chitwood wouldn’t release the victims’ names because of the ongoing investigation.