A girl in Waterbury, Connecticut was viciously attacked by a Pit Bull on Friday. Six-year-old Alexus DeLeon was with her mother and her 7-month-old sister when the dog attacked them. Alexus’ arm is currently bruised, swollen, and stitched up.

According to Alexus’ mother, Lisandra DeLeon, she and her two daughters were heading down from their apartment on the 4th floor. The elevator door opened up on the third floor and that’s when the Pit Bull attacked. The dog was loose in the hallway, WTHN reports. Lisandra recounted the horrific incident.

“It was horrible. It was like this dog is gonna kill my daughter so I was just screaming for help. Help, somebody please help me this dog is gonna kill my daughter.”

Lisandra says that the dog first tried to attack her 7-month-old. But when the stroller flipped, it proceeded on to attacking Alexus, biting her arm. Neighbors came out to help after they heard the mother and her daughters scream. Soon after, the owner of the dog came out, but Lisandra claims that she wasn’t cooperating.

“She came out and was like ‘don’t hit my dog, don’t hit my dog,’ and I was like ‘your dog is ripping off my daughter’s skin’ and she just started pulling the dog inside.”

Police have since tried to talk to the owner of the dog about having it removed from the building, but so far, there has been no response from her. Lisandra says that the presence of the dog in the building still terrifies her.

“I’m terrified. I came over here this morning and when I heard the dog was loose again. I’m just scared to go upstairs.”

Colorado is one of the many cities that enforces a pit bull ban. They're held at a shelter to be adopted for those outside of the banned area, if they're not claimed they are euthanized. [Photo by David Zalubowski/AP Photo] Featured image credit: David Zalubowski AP Images

Pit bulls were created by breeding bulldogs and terriers together. They were meant to be fighting dogs for blood sport, and as such were selectively bred to be aggressive and vicious. Today, a few hundred years later, such games are illegal, but the breed lives on and with a bad reputation. Many people argue that pit bulls are not vicious breeds by birth and it is the owners of these dogs that lead them into becoming vicious. While it is true with any large/working breed of dogs that an inexperienced owner can lead it to become aggressive and vicious, incidents of aggression from pit bulls are more commonly reported than with other breeds, possibly owing to the bad reputation.

The United Kennel Club, the second oldest kennel club in the United States and possibly the world’s largest performance dog registry, describes the characteristics of the American pit bull terrier as strong, confident, and having a zest for life. They are also said to make good family dogs and are good with children.

While many pit bulls are gentle and happy family dogs, incidents such as these have led several countries around the world, and some states in the U.S., to impose restrictions and in some cases outright bans on the ownership of the breed.

[Featured Image by Audrey Lohkamp/Shutterstock]