Girl, 9, mauled by unleashed dog at softball game as horrified parents look on

A nine-year-old girl watching her sister's softball game in a public park in Chicago was mauled by an unleashed dog , to the horror of her parents.

When she finally broke away from the animal, she raced toward her parents in the bleachers, screaming and crying. At that point, her back was covered in bite marks . Blood gushed from her leg.

"She was traumatized," her mom, Marci Sieracki, recalled Tuesday. "She was writhing in pain. It was just awful." Natalie spent five hours at Lurie Children's Hospital, where doctors attended to her injuries. She has several doctor's appointments lined up for the week.

On Saturday at Horner Park, the dog owner remained at the scene and received a citation, per the Chicago police.

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The incident has heightened local concerns about unleashed dogs in public spaces. The Chicago Tribune noted that a fully fenced, 25,000-square-foot dog park was just several feet from where the attack occurred.

"There's no reason this should have happened," Marci Sieracki told local news. "A kid should be able to go play on the grass and do cartwheels and not have to worry about being attacked by dogs."

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The demand for dog parks is growing in Chicago, as well as other cities throughout the US. Owners require off-leash green spaces for pets. The Chicago Park District boasts a little over 30 dog parks.

Pets are legally required to be restrained in areas outside of "dog-friendly zones." The city's municipal code states that dog owners who flout leash laws could face a $300 fine. If the violation results in "severe injury" to another person, the fine skyrockets to $10,000.

While they do occur, only some make the news. A man was mauled to death by dogs on the far South Side in 2022. In 2012, a jogger suffered critical injuries after being attacked by two pit bulls in Rainbow Beach Park.

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"The Park District does not have authority to issue citations, and as such, relies on the authorities that do have this capacity to assist with compliance of off-leash laws," a spokesperson for the Park District stated. There are no current statistics on the frequency of leash law enforcement in Chicago.

Last month, a one-year-old boy was tragically mauled to death by three dogs at a babysitter's home in Texas, police have said.

The toddler was being cared for alongside three other children at the home in Duncanville, North Texas, when the horrifying incident occurred on Monday morning. Police were called to a home in the city’s Lime Leaf Lane area at around 10:40 am to reports of a small child being attacked by a dog. Upon arrival at the property with paramedics, authorities said they found the boy unresponsive with severe injuries.

Also in April, an pit bull owner in LA died of massive blood loss and exhaustion after being mauled to death by his own pets in his backyard, according to a report.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office completed an autopsy report for 35-year-old Dominic Cooper, stating that his cause of death was physical exhaustion and blood loss, both directly linked to the injuries he sustained during the brutal attack.