Surgeon: No place for pit bulls, rottweilers around children ajc.com

One little girl's scalp and ears were gone. Other children have suffered head injuries, damage to their tracheas, and critical face wounds. And there are the children who don't survive.

In 2009, 29 children were admitted to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for treatment of serious injuries due to dog attacks, according to a pediatric surgeon. Those children represent the most severely injured. Dozens of others arrive at hospital emergency rooms for treatment for dog bites.

"Unfortunately, a lot of times, it's the family dog or the neighbors' dog," Dr. Mark Wulkan told the AJC. "People get this false sense of security."

The death of a 5-day-old Rockdale newborn by the family's pit bull heightens the need for people to use extreme caution with having certain dog breeds near children.

"There's no place for pit bulls or rottweilers around children," said Wulkan, Children's Healthcare surgeon in chief and an associate professor at Emory.