It turns out that the dog that bit the four-year-old child in South Hutchinson was owned by the child’s uncle, at least under the law.

The child, Kailyn Renee Hartman was visiting her uncle at 1613 W. Blanchard. The dog owner has been identified as Josiah Cauthorn and the one who was present when she was bit.

The dog that bit Kailynn had wandered into Cauthorn’s yard about 4-months ago so he started feeding, watering and housing it which under Kansas law makes him the owner. He was afraid of being charged with “Harboring a Dangerous Animal” so denied knowing where the dog came from after the initial report was made Monday evening.

Sheriff Randy Henderson says this delayed the investigation and possible treatment for an additional 18-hours. After conferring with District Attorney Keith Schroeder, it was determined that the case is classified as a “dog bite” because there needs to be a history of aggression for the “Harboring a Dangerous Animal”.

It was around 5:40 p-m, when the 4-yr-old was playing in her Uncle’s yard. He heard a scream and looked over and saw Kailynn pinned to the ground by the dog, who had the child around the neck. Cauthorn was able to scare the dog off and transported Kailynn to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center where she was treated for a large gash “bite” to the front of her neck and more punctures from teeth to the back of the neck.

Officers were able to get control of the dog and transport it to a vet for observation. The location of the incident is near Mennonite Manor Retirement Home.

Again, no charges will be filed against Cauthorn, and whats to become of the dog has not been released.