Child and dog seriously injured in east Des Moines dog attack
Des Moines police said an 11-year-old was seriously injured after a mixed-breed pit bull broke free from a leash; two adults and another dog were also injured, and the owner received citations.
Incident summary
Des Moines police said officers responded around 4 p.m. September 16 near East 21st Street and Alpha Avenue after one dog attacked a man and his pet dog, then an 11-year-old riding a scooter. The child suffered serious bite injuries and was hospitalized; the pet dog was seriously injured; its owner sustained a minor hand injury; and another man was bitten on the hand while intervening. Police said evidence collected so far identified the attacking dog as a mixed-breed pit bull that broke free from a leash.
Des Moines police said the attacking dog’s owner, identified as 69-year-old Douglas Lembke, secured the dog after the attack. Animal Services impounded the dog, and police said Lembke was cited for the dog being unleashed, lack of proof of animal licensing, and the attack. The dog remained quarantined pending a danger assessment, and the investigation was ongoing. Citations are not convictions, and BiteDB does not infer the final danger assessment or case disposition.
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Primary record used by BiteDB
KCCI reported that Animal Control responded near East 21st Street and Alpha Avenue and that Des Moines police confirmed a child and another dog suffered serious dog-bite injuries. A witness separately told KCCI that he was bitten and described the attacking dog going after a woman, a child, another dog and first responders.
Open original source ↗Additional sources
No additional independent source was needed for this police-attributed incident record at publication time.
- AOL / local report — Multiple injured, including child, in Des Moines dog attack — Follow-up reporting citing Des Moines Police Department · 2026-09-17
What BiteDB does not infer
Breed is recorded only at the provenance level shown above. Missing injury details, dog history, ownership facts or circumstances remain unknown unless a reliable source establishes them. This record may be updated as police, animal-control, medical, court or follow-up reporting becomes available.