Detroit girl mauled by dog, nearly loses arm and foot

DETROIT (WJBK) - A young girl who was viciously attacked by a pit bull is making huge strides in her recovery, after nearly losing her arm and foot.

11-year-old Monet Shaw was getting ready for her Carlton Elementary School graduation Saturday afternoon at her aunt's house on the city's east side, when the dog seemed to come out of nowhere. According to authorities, Monet was playing in the backyard a home when the dog that is known to be vicious, somehow got loose from the owner's home on Beaconsfield Saturday afternoon and attacked Monet.

Her father arrived at the scene just as the dog was moved away. He could see Monet's arm was severely torn, along with her foot.

"The arm was just hanging and she was bleeding everywhere. It's just one of those tragedies that no man should endure with their kid. To see their kid sitting there...and there was nothing I could do?" Morris Hollfield said. "When I looked on the floor my daughter was balled up, and I just grabbed her and put her in the car."

Doctors at Children's Hospital in Detroit were able to save her limbs after operating on her for 6 hours. Monet's leg wounds were stitched, while her arm took more work as it had to be reattached.

"It was a blessing to me because I'd rather have what happened to her than to hear that my daughter passed on Father's Day. Because he could have grabbed her throat, and it could've ended everything," Hollfield said. "I just sit back and praise god that she woke up this morning and smiled and happy, said happy Father's Day daddy. And it just means a lot."

Now doctors are waiting for swelling to go down before they operate again, hoping for her nerves to work again.

Hollfield said that his daughter was the strong one after the tragedy.

"I mean when I was feeling emotional she wiped my tears and said, dad, everything's gonna be alright," Hollfield said. "She wasn't mad at the situation. She said thank god, that he's restoring her health. 

The dog will likely be put down after a period of quarantine.