INDIANA -- A five-year-old boy is in the hospital, with his life possibly in danger, after he was viciously attacked by a dog in Osgood Monday afternoon.
Osgood Town Marshal Eric Roush says the boy was stying at his grandparents' home and was playing with a group of children on the 200 block of North Maple Street when he got too close to a bull mastiff/boxer mix chained up in the yard of a home around 2:45 p.m.
"We don't know if the dog was provoked or not at this point," Roush said.
The children scurried for help as the 70 to 80 pound dog stood over the boy, biting his neck, arm, thigh, and scratching his face.
A neighbor soon witnessed what was happening. The man ran to the child's rescue, pulling him away from the dog. Aircare was called and the child was flown to Cincinnati Children's Hospital where he is listed in stable condition Tuesday.
The victim - identified by neighbors as Corbyn Malphrus - may not be out of the woods, however.
"The dog was not immunized and the owner had no immunization records for it," Roush said, adding that the child will likely have to go through rabies treatment.
Officials from the Ripley County Health Department and the county dog warden were called to the scene. The dog was put down later Monday evening with its remains being sent to a lab for testing.
Ellen Allen Spurlock, the dog's owner as identified by neighbors, is likely to face charges. Roush said he plans to file a charge of Harboring an Unimmunized Dog Causing Serious Bodily Injury (Class B misdemeanor) once his investigation is complete.
(Eagle Country - Feb 21, 2012)
