Man arraigned in dog attack on 5-year-old girl

A Plymouth Township man was arraigned yesterday, accused of failing to control a pet dog that bit a 5-year-old girl Oct. 5, severely injuring her throat.

Gary McKeown, 53, owner of Maple Acre Farms on Narcissa Road in Plymouth Meeting, is charged with reckless endangerment, violating the state's dog-safety law, and failing to license his dog since 2007. He was released on $50,000 unsecured bail.

The child and her mother, both of Conshohocken, had just picked flowers at the farm when the girl went to hug the dog. Max, 11, a German shepherd, went for the child's throat, injuring her vocal cords and larynx, said Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Abigail Silverman.

Hospitalized 23 days, the girl faces surgery and speech therapy. The dog had bitten three times before, Silverman said, and McKeown had been ordered to muzzle him or place him in a secure enclosure. McKeown agreed to have Max euthanized Oct. 15. McKeown did not return a phone call. - Bonnie L. Cook