Dog blamed for injuring Oklahoma City students could be euthanized

A dog that attacked and injured 12 children at an Oklahoma City elementary school could be euthanized if its owner doesn't come forward.

About 12:40 p.m. Monday, a pit bull terrier ran into the playground of Fillmore Elementary School, 5200 S Blackwelder, during recess for 3rd and 4th grade students and attacked the children. The dog was tackled by a teacher as it tried to enter the school building.

Oklahoma City Public Schools officials said students suffered superficial dog bite wounds and other injuries as they were running away from the dog. All students who went to the hospital for treatment were released Monday night, with no critical injuries reported.

During a Monday afternoon news conference, Tim Coleman, director of security for the school district, said officials were investigating how the dog came onto the school's playground. He said it was possible the gates to the playground may have been left open.

District officials on Tuesday said the fencing at the school was repaired and locks had been added to the gates. District security teams also were performing a full assessment of fences and gates at all other district properties. The work is expected to take several days.

Oklahoma City Animal Welfare officers took the dog from the school. Jon Gary, Animal Welfare superintendent, said the dog will be held for three days, giving the owner the opportunity to come forward and claim the dog. If the dog is not claimed within that time frame, it more than likely will be euthanized, Gary said.

If the owner claims the animal, Gary said he would work with victims in the attack to file dangerous dog complaints and the owner would face a citation for harboring a dangerous dog. In that case, the animal could still be euthanized or released to the owner, depending on a court ruling. If released to the owner, the animal would have to be registered annually with Animal Welfare, neutered and microchipped.

CONTRIBUTING: STAFF WRITER SILAS ALLEN