CORONA, Calif., May 13 (UPI) -- A California teen and her dog are recovering after being attacked and mauled by an unregistered pit bull, the girl's family said.
Alex Cuevas, 15, was walking her Shih Tzu, Cocoa, two blocks from the family's home in Corona, Calif., when a neighbor's pit bull broke free from a backyard and charged Cocoa at 4:18 p.m. Friday. Cuevas tried to save her dog but the pit bull turned on her, biting her in the head, face and neck, The (Riverside, Calif.) Press Enterprise said.
By the time neighbors were able to intercede and call 911, Cuevas' right ear was hanging by just a small flap of skin and Cocoa's eyeball had been pulled from its socket.
Both Cuevas and Cocoa received medical treatment. The Press Enterprise said Sunday Cuevas' ear was surgically reattached and other than some slight discoloration looks normal. Veterinarians we able to put Cocoa's eye back in its socket and the dog is expected to recover.
Police said the pit bull in question was not registered with the Corona, Calif., clerk's office, as required by law. The dog has been quarantined because the owner couldn't produce proof of vaccinations.
No charges have been filed but the investigation is ongoing, police said.
