A 1-year-old girl died after her family’s pit bull attacked her while her mother desperately tried to intervene, Ohio officials confirmed.
The family’s dog suddenly lunged at baby Blakely Blosser last Wednesday as her mother bent down to pick up laundry inside their Dover Township home, officials told WOIO.
While trying to call 911, the mother also fought to pull the dog off her daughter — but by the time she reached a dispatcher, Blakely had already died, said Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis L. Campbell.
“Her mother clearly put up a fight — she had defensive wounds trying to get the dog’s jaws open,” Campbell said.
“I can’t imagine a worse nightmare” for the mother, he added.
“It was about as terrible an ordeal as we’ve come across in a long time.”
Blakely suffered fatal bite wounds to her face and throat, and officials said she died almost instantly.
The mother told investigators the dog had never attacked a human before, although it had shown aggression toward other dogs, Campbell noted.
Blakely’s father, who was not at home during the attack, later euthanized the dog, Campbell said.
Family members identified the child in a heartbreaking obituary posted online.
“Her joyful essence shone brightest when she was playing with her brother. Their bond was pure and filled with laughter, offering moments of joy that will forever reverberate in the hearts of our family,” her loved ones wrote.