Ohio mom charged with child endangering after pit bull mauls son's foot

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) _ The mother of a 4-year-old boy whose foot was mauled by the family's pit bull puppy was charged with child endangering, authorities said Saturday. <br/><br/>Martina Jennings, 23,

Saturday, February 3rd 2007, 7:33 pm

By: News On 6

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) _ The mother of a 4-year-old boy whose foot was mauled by the family's pit bull puppy was charged with child endangering, authorities said Saturday.

Martina Jennings, 23, took her son to a hospital Friday because his foot was bleeding and told authorities she saw blood on the dog's face and chest, Lucas County Dog Warden Tom Skeldon said. The foot was amputated.

The boy has no feeling below the waist because of spina bifida, so he did not know the dog was biting him, Skeldon said. Spina bifida is a defect that occurs when the backbone and spinal cord do not close before birth.

The black-and-white puppy was destroyed. Skeldon said he questioned the puppy's ability to cause so much damage because its teeth weren't mature.

Jennings was being held in the Lucas County jail on the felony charge.

The phone rang unanswered at Jennings' home Saturday; it was unclear if she had retained an attorney.