AUSTRIA -- A two-year-old boy will undergo two operations after he was attacked by his family’s dog. Young Bennet was badly injured on Sunday afternoon when the dog suddenly bit him on the left side of his face.
"It was just a normal Sunday. We were drinking coffee in the kitchen and my daughter was on the first floor with Bennet", explained Grandpa Hans-Jürgen T.
The two-year-old was playing on the floor when the American Staffordshire terrier, Ike attacked. Mother, Sharona M. fought to get the dog off her child but the boy was left covered in blood and seriously injured.
The boy was flown by emergency services from Bernstein bei Oberwart to the children’s clinic in Graz for emergency surgery. Bennet will undergo further surgery next week. Much of the two-year-olds face has been left severely swollen and his face has been covered in a thick bandage.
The reason for the dog’s unexpected attack is still unknown. "Ike has lived with me for eight years," explained Sharona M. Both Bennet’s Aunt Eveline and Grandpa live in the house with the animal and have never had any problems with him.
"It is difficult. I have to ask myself if I can leave Bennet alone with him. It is a big responsibility. I must still decide," said the mother. The family still maintained on Sunday that they wished to keep the dog but it is being held in Graz in the meantime.
(Austria Times - Jan 31, 2012)
