CUMBERLAND COUNTY, N.C. (WNCN) — A family in Cumberland County is seeking justice for their 5-year-old daughter who was attacked by a German shepherd. Documents show the dog, named Jimmy, was declared potentially dangerous by the county because they say it wasn't the first attack. "Am I going to die? Am I going to die?" Dog attacked in High Point, owners warn neighbors  That's the question Courtney Mata says her then-4-year-old daughter asked on her way to the hospital last December. "I will never forget the look on her face during that time because it scared me," Mata said. "I didn't know if she was in shock or what it was. It was a blank stare and ghost white." She says her daughter, Brenna, was attacked by a neighbor's dog after he escaped his backyard. Distant screams could be heard on another neighbor's surveillance camera, which shows what looks like a dog running around with a person chasing it. "It happened extremely fast," said Joseph Mata, Brenna's father. " I ran up and I kicked the dog. Didn't really kick it because it kind of seen me coming right at the last moment, so it like moved away and I just clipped the shoulder just a little bit." They took Brenna to a pediatric emergency room where she got stitches, shots and medicine. Pictures show the extent of the bites on her body. "There was tissue hanging out of her legs, but they explained they couldn’t close stitch that because I guess there's infections that happen a lot from dog bite incidences, so they just kind of put a couple of stitches in it to leave it open but close it enough where the tissues wasn't just hanging out," Courtney said. According to records from Cumberland County Animal Services, the dog's attack on Brenna was a level 5 on the Dunbar Scale. That's the last level before a victim is dead. The Mata family says one of the dog's owners stopped by their house after the incident. "He told my husband that he had no idea that the dog could ever hurt someone at all, but then I heard from a neighbor that that probably wasn't true and that something had happened prior to us moving in here," Courtney said. That something was documented in a report from Cumberland County Animal Services. It shows in 2020, Jimmy was accused of biting a 16-year-old, while the child was walking in the neighborhood. Following that incident, the county declared Jimmy a "Potentially Dangerous Dog." The "Potentially Dangerous Dog" determination letter given to his owners, dated Nov. 6, 2020, says a list of conditions "must be met and maintained for the life of the dog as long as it residents in Cumberland County." Some of the conditions include: he must be secured in the home, in an outdoor kennel, or wearing a muzzle and on a four-foot leash held by an adult. It also states they must purchase and annually renew a "Potentially Dangerous Dog" permit for $100. It goes on to say if at any point they, “fail to continue to meet all of the above requirements, or if it is determined that Jimmy poses a threat to public health or safety, the Director of CCAC may revoke your permit and Jimmy will be confiscated and euthanized.” The county confirms Jimmy's permit expired in November 2022 and was not renewed. Just over a year later, Brenna Mata was attacked. "I really hope that everyone can understand that this is something that was so easily preventable. This was not an accident. This was something that was predictable on all levels because it was in black and white on how the dog was supposed to be contained," Courtney said. Documentation from Animal Services says one of Jimmy's owners confirms he "pushed out" from under the fence. A photo sent to CBS 17 following a public records request shows what looks like the area he escaped from. Documents state Jimmy's owners euthanized him following his attack on Brenna. CBS 17 reached them by email and they declined to speak with us. According to a letter dated May 1, 2024, they were declared "nuisance/reckless owners" because they were not in compliance with the "Potentially Dangerous Dog" requirements. CBS 17 asked Cumberland County Animal Services if Jimmy's owners were ever cited or charged. They told us the following: "The (owners) were not cited as their dog was euthanized, thereby eliminating the threat to the community. Because there were no prior complaints of non-compliance with [Potentially Dangerous Dog] requirements, there was no cause to believe the (owners) were not in compliance. Due to no cause, there was no need for an inspection." The Mata family say they have hired an attorney and they want to see changes to the law, including harsher punishments for cases like this. A statement from their attorney, Kyle M. Blodgett, says in part: "We hope that this case serves as a wake up call to law enforcement, animal services, and all owners of potentially dangerous dogs in Cumberland County so that attacks like this can be prevented in the future. Reckless dog owners need to be held accountable, and law enforcement and animal control services need to work together to enforce the laws which were enacted to protect the citizens of Cumberland County. I applaud Ms. Mata’s efforts to raise awareness to this public safety concern, using her own child’s horrible experience as an example for all of us to learn from." Courtney and Joseph say their daughter has some scarring from the attack and sometimes panics when she hears a dog barking. CBS 17 reached out to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office regarding this case. A representative directed us back to Animal Services.