A couple’s pit bull on Saturday bit a child at a residence outside Mancos, amputating her ear, according to the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office.

Emergency personnel were treating the girl when deputy Edward Oxley arrived about 7:15 p.m. at the home, in the 35000 block of Road P.4. The dog’s owner killed the dog with a gunshot to its head before he arrived.

The child, who was taken to the Southwest Memorial Hospital emergency room, has been transferred to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Grand Junction with hope that her ear could be reattached.

The girl’s father, whom Oxley interviewed in the Southwest Memorial emergency room, said that he had been staying at the home for the past three weeks, and on Saturday evening went outside for a cigarette with his juvenile daughter and the dog. While he smoked, the dog began to play aggressively with the girl, jumping up on her as if trying to knock her down. He said he pushed the dog away several times and kicked it. The dog responded by biting the girl’s jacket hood and ear. He fought the dog as the girl ran inside the home, and received a bite on his right hand.

According to Oxley, the father’s account was consistent with the couple’s accounts. The couple also said that they’ve had the dog for two years, since it was a puppy, and that it never showed signs of aggression.

The dog apparently does not have a veterinarian or a vaccination record, Oxley said in his report. He added that he stored the dog in a freezer at the Cortez Animal Shelter in case health officials decided to test it for disease.

No criminal charges were filed, Oxley said.