Police said the attack happened at the family's house on Carriere Avenue in Woonsocket.
Police said the boy tried to stop the dog from eating his father's dinner off the table, and that's when the dog lunged after the boy.
Police said the wounds pierced the boy's face and that he was taken to the hospital. The boy needed more than 100 stitches.
"Animal control looks at every situation. Because it's a family dog, we checked on the licensing and also vaccinations, which they were all up to par," said Lt. Eugene Jalette of the Woonsocket Police Department.
Katenna Jones is a certified animal behaviorist who evaluates dogs for organizations like Providence Animal Control. She looks over many pit bulls but said there's no research to indicate the breed is especially dangerous.
"It's very, very rare that a dog just snaps out of the blue. There's often signs that humans don't know how to read," Jones said.
"So children are at risk particularly because of their size and role in the group and it's especially heightened around resources like food."
Neighbor Robert Desrosiers said he's scared to have a dog like the one that attacked the boy in the neighborhood, but said it's a nice dog.
Police said the dog will stay quarantined for 10 days. After that it's up to the family to decided what to do with the dog.
(NBC10 - June 4, 2012)
