A three-year-old Fannin County child remains in critical condition following a near-fatal attack by a pit bull in Bailey, Texas on June 4.

Shaylee Crosson had been playing in her grandmother's front yard, but she managed to wander into the backyard where a pit bull was restrained on a dog run.  That is where the attack occurred.

According to Lieutenant Daryl Parker of the Fannin County Sheriff's Office, the little girl's wounds were so serious that family members, medical personnel and law enforcement could only hope and pray the three-year-old would survive.  Lieutenant Parker advised that as of Thursday evening, Shaylee was still in critical condition to safeguard against the threat of infection, but she is expected to recover.

Indications are the dog was known to be aggressive and had killed two dogs previously.  The dog was killed by people at the scene before law enforcement arrived and Bonham Police Department Animal Control Officer Jimmy Gilbert was called the retrieve the dead pit bull.

Bonham Police Chief Mike Bankston said this latest attack should reinforce the danger of owning aggressive animals and pit bulls are involved in a high percentage of incidents in the city.

"We have had more vicious attacks by pit bulls than by any other breed," Chief Bankston remarked.

Lieutenant Parker backed up that assessment and added that in a rural area such as Fannin County, there seems to be more pit bull owners breeding territorial, aggressive animals than in urban settings.