Port Charlotte, FL– A 21-year-old Florida mother is facing charges after she allegedly left her infant unattended with a new puppy so that she could shower.
Chloe Wisniewski was taken into custody on Friday following a 4-month investigation into her case.
Authorities say that on Feb. 14 they were called to Wisniewski’s residence to investigate a dog bite.
Wisniewski told them that she placed the child into a bassinet so she could take a “quick shower,” and while in the shower, she heard the child screaming.
Wisniewski says she jumped out of the shower to find the family’s new 3-month-old pitbull mix they got the night before, “chewing” on the infant’s hand.
The mother immediately pulled the puppy off of the baby and wrapped the infant’s wounds in a cloth, while she called the police.
The infant was stabilized at the scene and then flown to Tampa General Hospital where she received surgery and amputations.
Surgeons reportedly amputated three fingers from her left hand and partially amputated two fingers from her right.
After the child was taken to the hospital, the Department of Children and Families conducted an assessment of the mother and found THC, the active ingredient in marijuana in her system.
The case was then forwarded to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office’s Major Crimes Unit which found the mother responsible for her child’s condition.
Wisniewski “did, by culpable negligence, failure to provide the baby with the care and supervision and services necessary to maintain physical health,” causing “permanent disfigurement”, authorities said.
Wisniewski was arrested but has since posted bail. Authorities say the child has been placed in the care of family members but Wisniewski is allowed to have supervised visits with her child.
The puppy was quarantined and then taken to the Animal Welfare League.