Miami Gardens toddler hospitalized after two pit bulls bite his face during backyard attack Tuesday evening

Incident reported in the 3600 block of Northwest 191st Street

A 2-year-old boy was hospitalized Tuesday night after being bitten in the face by two pit bulls in Miami Gardens, police said. The incident was reported at about 6:54 p.m. in the 3600 block of Northwest 191st Street.

Officers responding to the call found that the child had been in the backyard of a home when the dogs attacked, authorities said. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue airlifted the boy to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. The child was reported to be in stable condition.

Unresolved questions: custody of the dogs and potential enforcement actions

As of Wednesday morning, police said the investigation remained ongoing and did not immediately confirm whether the dogs were taken into custody by animal control authorities. Police also did not confirm whether any adult caretakers or dog owners would be cited or face criminal charges in connection with the attack.

In Miami-Dade County, dog-bite incidents can involve multiple agencies, including local law enforcement, county animal services responsible for animal-related enforcement actions, and public health authorities that track animal bites as part of rabies and exposure prevention protocols.

Regulatory backdrop: Florida limits breed-specific local rules

The Miami Gardens attack comes in a statewide legal environment that restricts breed-specific regulation. Florida law permits local governments to adopt ordinances addressing dangerous dogs and to impose restrictions and requirements on owners based on a dog’s behavior and threat level, but it prohibits rules that regulate dogs solely on the basis of breed.

That statewide framework took on added significance in Miami-Dade County after changes that removed the previous carve-out that had allowed certain local breed-specific restrictions. As a result, enforcement in Florida is centered on an individual dog’s conduct and the circumstances of an incident, rather than breed classification.

What typically follows a serious dog-bite investigation

• Verification of the facts and the setting of the attack, including where the child was located and how access to the dogs occurred.

• Identification of the dogs and their owners or custodians, including vaccination status and licensing where applicable.

• Coordination with public health officials to ensure appropriate reporting and follow-up related to rabies exposure risk.

• Consideration of administrative actions involving the animals, which can include quarantine or other measures depending on the investigation’s findings.

Police said the toddler was attacked while in a home’s backyard, and he was later reported to be in stable condition after being airlifted to a children’s hospital.

Authorities have not released additional details about what preceded the attack, whether the child and dogs lived at the home, or whether the dogs had any prior documented incidents. Police said the investigation was continuing.