Charles Flick of Fayette witnessed the incident while visiting Studley's parents at their home on 442 County Road in Howard County.
The little boy was standing near a trampoline at his home when the dog, a German Shepherd mix, ran up behind him and bit him in the face several times before running off. The bite detached his lower eyelid.
"I saw the dog come from behind. He grabbed the boy by his face, put him down and took another bite," Flick said.
Studley’s grandfather rushed him to University of Missouri Women’s and Children’s Hospital. He required a rabies shot. Doctors said he will still be able to see out of the injured right eye, but they remain concerned about possible disfigurement. He is now recovering at home, after undergoing 25 stitches.
"He could be disfigured from this in the long run. He will have major scarring on his face as it is. He's in a lot of pain. He hurts. He cries. It's really sad," Mathews said.
"His eye socket is fractured in two different spots, and he's had to have rabies shots," Mathews said.
"He has puncture wounds on his temple and on the bottom of his chin." Mathews also said Studley will need nasal reconstructive surgery in the future.
The dog belongs to Tammy Huffman and Gary McCormick, who live nearby.
According to Flick, the dog also bit the owner's granddaughter in the past. "There is a history of this dog attacking animals and children," Flick said.
The sheriff’s office is investigating whether other residents have filed complaints about the dog. The county has no leash law, so dogs are allowed to run free on their owner’s property. There is also no animal control department, leaving responsibility for responding to animal issues to the sheriff’s office.
According to the Howard County Sheriff's Department, the dog has not been vaccinated for rabies.
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| The Sheriff's Dept apparently didn't know that state law requires an unvaccinated bite dog to be quarantined |
Howard County Sheriff Charlie Polson said he instructed the owner to keep the dog tied up for 10 days. However, according to the Sheriff's Dept, the dog has not been vaccinated for rabies which means it should be quarantined --- not tied up outside.
“People have a right to protect their livestock and themselves, and I tell people if their dog runs onto someone else’s property and attacks them, they can shoot (the dog),” Polson said.
Rodney Lee owns property near McCormick and said he filed a complaint with the sheriff’s department more than a year ago when the dog attacked one of his horses.
KOMU 8 witnessed the dog restrained by a chain outside the owner's home at approximately 2:45 p.m. Friday. "They're not doing anything about it. It makes me really mad," Flick said of the sheriff's department.
The sheriff's department later picked up the dog. At approximately 5:50 p.m. Friday, KOMU 8 received word they obtained it from the owner's home. The dog will be held at Howard County Veterinary Service for the next 10 days.
(KOMU, Boonville Daily News - Oct 14, 2011)
