By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

AGRICULTURE and Marine Resources Minister Jomo Campbell yesterday urged the owner of the dog that mauled three-year-old Skyla Lightbourne to surrender to police, saying investigators know who he is and expect charges to follow.

Mr Campbell said the owner of the Belgian Malinois-German Shepherd mix should report to the nearest police station after last Wednesday’s attack on Ida Street, which left Skyla with head injuries requiring surgery.

“The circumstances speak for themselves,” Mr Campbell told reporters.

Skyla was discharged from hospital on Friday but has been left traumatised, according to her mother, Bentika Lightbourne.

Mr Campbell said the Animal Control Unit responded immediately after the attack and accompanied Skyla at hospital as she prepared for surgery. Officers later visited the child with toys and offered support to the family.

Animal Control has taken custody of the dog and investigators know the owner’s identity, the minister said.

“Delay will only amplify the negative impact that this is having,” Mr Campbell said, “not just on the victim but also the community, because the community suffers when anything like this happens as well.”

Asked about claims from residents that the owner may be a member of the armed forces, Mr Campbell did not confirm them.

“What I would say is that the officers investigating this matter are fully aware as to who they are looking for,” he said, “and I have the utmost trust in the Royal Bahamas Police Force.”

Mr Campbell said he expected the man to be taken into custody “in the very near future”.

He said the dog appeared to have been trained, which contributed to the severity of the attack.

Ms Lightbourne, 36, previously told The Tribune that she fought the animal with her bare hands while holding her daughter.

She alleged that the same dog had shown aggression before and had bitten her cousin about two weeks before Skyla was attacked. Ms Lightbourne said she reported the attack to police and wanted charges filed.

The mauling occurred during the government’s September dog amnesty under its Mission Pawssible initiative, which allows owners to register their dogs free of charge and encourages licensing, microchipping, vaccinations and proper restraint.

Mr Campbell stressed that the amnesty does not mean enforcement has stopped.

“We don't want the public to think that the amnesty period means that enforcement is not taking place,” he said.

He said Animal Control issued about $2,000 worth of citations on Friday and that about 15 people were registering their dogs when he left the ministry yesterday morning.

Fixed penalties under the enforcement programme range from $50 to $1,000. They include a $250 penalty for an unlicensed or roaming dog and $500 for having a dangerous dog out of control in a public place.