PICKENSVILLE, Ala. (WIAT)-A 10-year-old girl who was attacked by a dog Sunday in Pickens County is now recovering at home after being treated at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham.

Kiyah Nickelson is thankful her cousin Lanyia Wilson is alive and well after the brutal attack.

“She is strong. When it first happened, she cried a little bit when she got into the ambulance but she didn’t cry, she didn’t yell, she just said her head hurt,” Nickelson said. “[Once she] made it to the hospital, she was laughing.”

The dog attack happened on Jim locke Road in Pickensville. Lanyia was visiting her family in Pickens County this weekend. Kiyah Nickelson tells CBS 42 that Lanyia walked across the street onto a neighbor’s yard and a large mixed-breed dog bit her several times on her face and head.

“The only thing we knew is that a dog attacked a child and me and her oldest brother ran down there just to see who it was,” Nickelson said. “It was her and I helped her back up here to the car. It was so scary, I was scared for her.”

Pickens County Sheriff Todd Hall says it was an accident, he doesn’t know why the animal attacked the young victim. Hall says the neighbor will not face any charges, but the Sheriff says dog owners have to be more responsible.

“There really is no leash law in the county but the owner of a dog has to be responsible for the dog’s actions,” Hall said. “You can’t allow a vicious dog to roam at will.”

Lanyia was discharged from Children’s Hospital Monday, her grandmother tells CBS 42 the 10-year-old underwent plastic surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.

