© 2024 Hawaiʻi Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
HPR's spring membership campaign is underway! Support the reporting, storytelling and music you depend on. Donate now

Dogs Attack Mom, Child Near Children's Discovery Center

Tony Webster/Flickr/Wikimedia Commons
/
Creative Commons Share Alike 2.0 License

Two dogs attacked a mother and her 1 1/2-year-old daughter last week near the Children's Discovery Center in the Kakaako neighborhood of Honolulu.

The attack happened Thursday as the family was waiting for the center to open, KHON-TV reported Sunday.

The mother, Brandy Bennett, is recovering from her injuries, which include bruising, scratches and a bite mark on her legs.

Bennett said she and her daughter were walking in the park near the center when two medium-sized, caramel-colored poi dogs rushed toward them.

Bennett said she held her daughter as high as she could during the attack so the dogs couldn't harm the child.

"Honestly, I'm so traumatized that I do not want this to happen to anyone else again," Bennett said.

Bystanders managed to get the dogs away and called 911.

Bennett said the dogs ran off to a nearby tent.

Managers of the center have long been concerned about homeless encampments that have sprung up on streets surrounding their building. At one point in 2015, more than 300 people were living in the surrounding Kakaako neighborhood.

The city and state have since helped people find housing and periodically conducted "sweeps" to move people out of the area but camps persist.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers.
Related Stories