UTAH -- A 4-year-old Hyrum boy is recovering after being attacked by two pitbulls in his neighborhood Friday.
According to Chief Deputy Brad Slater of the Cache County Sheriff's Office, Ana Vazquez, the boy's neighbor, called 911 Friday at about 4:30 p.m. to get medical attention for the child.
Vazquez, who said she is seven months pregnant, ran out to the boy, phone in hand, she said during an interview with The Herald Journal.
"My neighbor grabbed him and brought him to me, and put him on top of my car," said Vazquez, adding that her neighbor owned the dogs.
She said the neighbor believed Vazquez was the boy's mother. Vazquez said she later took the boy into her home and started to clean his wounds according to instructions from the 911 dispatcher.
Slater said the boy was taken by ambulance to Logan Regional Hospital, where he was treated and released. Vazquez does not know the boy's family. His mother was not there immediately but arrived at the scene some time later.
Slater said the attack was unprovoked, saying the boy was standing on the sidewalk when the dogs pushed him down and started biting him on his face, shoulder and an arm.
He said the call initially started as a medical assist, but when officers realized the nature of the call, law enforcement was called to the scene.
The pitbulls were taken into custody by Hyrum city's animal control division, and they are being quarantined for 10 days to monitor them for the presence of rabies.
According to Slater the dogs belong to Gilbert Phillips and Hilda Uya and this is not the first time there has been an issue with these dogs. However, Animal Control Officer Kirt Lindley refused to confirm that information, stating it is not public information.
Hyrum City Manager Brent Jensen said the owners had two licensed adult dogs and two weaned pups. Jensen said the adults were tied up, but the pups were at large on the day they attacked the boy.
The owners, who had previously been asked to find homes for the pups, were given a citation for having more than two dogs. They were also cited for the attack.
Vazquez said the dogs are never tied up, and it is common for the dogs to bark at or approach people as they walk by the home. She said there has never been an incident with the dogs attacking people.
At the end of the quarantine period, Lindley said the dogs will be returned to their owners until their court date. At that time, a justice court judge will determine the fate of the dogs.
(Herald Journal - Nov 17, 2011)
