Child bitten by pit bull in base housing recovering well Published Aug. 27, 2008 By Maj. Elizabeth Ortiz Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- A 16-month-old child bitten by a pit bull in military family housing here on the evening of Aug. 13 is recovering well. According to 5th Security Forces Squadron Police Services, the base ambulance arrived five minutes after the 911 call was made at 8:38 p.m. and transported the child to Trinity Hospital in Minot, where he received treatment for a gash on the forehead near the hairline. In addition, two SFS patrols immediately responded. According to the police report, the dog was tethered to a kennel in the garage next to its litter of newborn puppies when the child entered the garage and was bitten. Following standard procedure for dog bites, the dog was examined by the base veterinary office on Aug. 14 and placed on a10-day quarantine. Under the base's current pet policy, families in MFH may keep any combination of domestic dogs, cats and/or ferrets not to exceed three. At this time, the policy is undergoing revision by the 5th Mission Support Group to include guidance on aggressive-breed dogs. "We are reviewing our policies as they relate to aggressive-breed dogs and will put the safety of our families first when it comes to deciding how we go forth on this issue," said Col. James Gallagher, 5th MSG commander. However, updating the base's pet policy is one part of ensuring this type of incident doesn't happen again, the 5th MSG commander said. Supervision of both children and pets is another part. "It's important for parents and pet owners to be aware when a potentially dangerous situation may arise," said Colonel Gallagher. Recommended changes to the base pet policy will be routed for coordination and, if approved by the installation commander, will be released to the base populace.