Toddler Viciously Attacked by Family Dog

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By Chelsea Kopta

Summary

A four-year-old boy is recovering at his home in Touchet after his family dog viciously attacked him.

Story Published: Nov 6, 2007 at 7:41 PM PST

Toddler Viciously Attacked by Family Dog

Jack pants inside a kennel at the Blue Mountain Humane Society in Walla Walla. The family dog attacked a four-year-old boy at his home in Touchet.

TOUCHET -- A four-year-old boy is recovering at his home in Touchet after his family dog viciously attacked him this weekend.

Deputies said he was bit in the face over and over, and rushed to a hospital in Walla Walla.

By Tuesday, the boy's family said he did have stitches and was recovering at home.

In fact, the family said he asked to play with the dog, named Jack, on his first day back.

But the family wanted Jack out.

They handed him over to the Blue Mountain Humane Society and asked that they put him down.

Now that he's in their care, it's up to animal reps to decide if they'll euthanize Jack or adopt him out.

He's on a 10 day quarantine at the Humane Society.

The german short-haired pointer may be considered a dangerous dog.

"This is one of those cases that is really heartbreaking," Blue Mountain Humane Society Director Sara Archer said.

Deputies said the little boy somehow startled the dog, then the family heard screaming.

Jack bit the child all over the face.

Blue Mountain TV caught video of crews taking him to the emergency room at St. Mary Medical Center.

"The family chose they do not want him back in the home and with the extent of the injuries the grandson had, I can respect that," Archer said.

The family owned Jack since he was a pup, but this is the second time he's attacked the child.

The boy's family didn't want to talk to Action News on camera but said they couldn't risk another attack.

"It comes down to, how do we value life?" Archer said. "It's not that children are more important than dogs...it's a very difficult situation."

Archer doesn't just blame Jack.

She said this breed isn't normally dangerous and any dog can be aggressive if spooked.

"Yeah, it was this part that he got," Archer said. "It was pretty scary."

A few years ago, a pit bull puppy in Walla Walla was surprised by a little kid: he bit off part his ear.

The kid survived and the family kept the dog.

"Just because a dog bites doesn't mean it's a bad dog," Archer said. "it just makes you think about it more carefully."

At this point, the Humane Society will wait 10 days to make sure Jack doesn't have rabies and to test him.

Then they'll see if he can play nice and be adopted out.

If someone does choose to adopt Jack, animal reps have to disclose his prior history and would push to file him as a dangerous dog.

That means a judge would label the dog as dangerous under the law, and the owner would have to follow certain rules to keep him.

Owners who dare to keep a dangerous dog often pay a lot for the decision.

The rules can change by county, but it often means paying for extra liability insurance, an enclosed kennel and asking neighbor's permission.