When emergency responders arrived at the home in the 100 block of W.Railroad Ave. about 6 p.m., they found that the child had been bitten multiple times. The dog was quarantined and could be euthanized without the standard 10-day waiting period, said Sheriff Eric Tilley.
The baby was inside the house when the dog attacked, said the child's grandmother Terry Atkinsson. She and other children were in the bedroom at the time, she said.
"We don't know what happened," Atkinsson said. She said she tried to get the dog away from the child, but was injured in the process. She was treated for her injuries.
Kent Bowser, the grandmother's boyfriend, said he was doing yard work and ran inside the house. He says she was holding the dog, trying to restrain it.
They then grabbed James, tried CPR and tended to wounds on his head.
"We just grabbed the baby and brought him on the porch right here to try to revive him. That’s all we can do and pray to God the whole time we were doing it," Bowser said.
Visibly distraught and dazed Wednesday morning, Atkinsson said she did not object to the dog being euthanized. An older boy in the home had also been bitten by the dog in a separate incident, she said.
But the attack on the infant still surprised her.
"The dog had never shown aggression toward the baby," she said.
Police refused to release the name of the baby, but multiple media outlets reported that the name of the boy is James Hudson.
James Thatch, who lives and works in the neighborhood, knew the family and had seen the child's mother walking the dog along Railroad Avenue. The large, old home sits along the railroad tracks in an area where several homes are vacant and for sale.
Not long ago, Thatch said, he was mowing grass at the house next door when the dog pulled at its leash, aggressively trying to get at him. The woman was barely able to hold him back, he said.
"They are nice people, but that dog has got to go," he said.
An investigation into the attack continues; the circumstances of the attack weren’t immediately known.
Hertford Police say the findings of the investigation will be turned over to the Perquimans County Dept. of Social Services and the District Attorney's office for possible further action.
(The Virginian-Pilot - Sept 12, 2012)
