INDIANAPOLIS -- Angela Hernandez, a 7-year-old Indianapolis girl, was waiting for her bus when a dog approached her. As kids often do, she reached out to pet it but ended up in the hospital.
Hernandez and her sister were in front of their house near the 6100 block of Cooper Road at 9 a.m. Monday when the dog came up to them.
"He came straight to me and then I tried to touch it," Hernandez said. "He jumped to me and then he bit my lip."
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Angela's older sister Laysha jumped into action to help.
"I grabbed some paper because it was bleeding and I grabbed some ice because it was already swollen and then I called my mom," Laysha said.
The girls' mother left work to take Angela to the hospital.
"They put me to sleep right there and then they put two stitches [in]" Angela said.
But even after a scary experience, Angela says she still loves dogs.
The Indiana State Department of Health reported more than 6,000 dog bites in 2016. The most at-risk group is children between the ages of 1 and 9.
If your child is approached by a strange dog, they should be like a tree and not move. Do not make eye contact, reach for, or pet the dog.
Some neighbors in the area said they've seen the dog loose before and that it belongs to somebody nearby. The owner has not been found by authorities. The dog is being held at Indianapolis Animal Care Services on a 10-day bite quarantine.
"I feel like they should take more responsibility," Laysha said. "They're kids. They're gonna wanna touch a dog when they see one."
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