Pit bull attack sparks controversy in Prior Lake neighborhood

The face of 3-year-old Chase Loney is scarred by bites from his neighbor's pit bull.

Last August, Chase and his parents were invited to their neighbor's Prior Lake, Minn. residence for a block party. They'd been there several times before. Chase's dad, Chris Loney, said the attack happened suddenly.

"He's by my side the whole time, within about a foot... and I turn about 45 degrees to throw some paper plates in the trash, and I heard this 'ruff ruff.' The dog just came out of nowhere," he says.

Chase ended up with 22 stitches. A report was filed with police, but no charges were filed.

"We gave our neighbors the option," Chase's mom, Chandra Loney, says, "[to] pay the medical bills and get rid of the dog, and we'll leave it alone. And they chose to keep the dog."

Over the phone, the owner of the pit bulls tells Fox 9 and he and his wife feel they're the ones being bullied in this situation. The owner says he's put up a fence, and his dog hasn't harmed anyone since that August incident. He says he feels horrible about what happened, but has no plans to give up the dog.

But the Loney's argue that with so many kids living in their neighborhood, the dog has to go.

Keri Marsh, founder of Protecting Paws Animals Rescue, says she thinks pit bulls don't deserve all the bad press they get.

"I believe it's a lot of social media that gets them the bad wrap," she says. "It's in the training. If you train them to be a protector, they are going to protect you."

MORE: Hear from Protecting Paws Animal Rescue

Minneapolis recently started adopting out pit bulls and Rottweilers from city shelters. So far, 117 have found new homes.

Experts say dog bites can come from any breed at any time.

Nonetheless, the Loney's, who received a $1,000 insurance claim from their neighbors to help with medical costs, say they plan to file a lawsuit sometime soon.

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