The dog described as a large German Shepherd -type of breed is in the custody of animal control and his owner could face possible citations.
Irene Flores was in her home when she heard something strange.
“There was a child screaming and when I looked out the window and I saw a black dog attacking a boy. So I went out to help,” said Flores.
Officers with Kern County Animal Control say the dog bit the 8-year-old boy on both his legs, multiple times.
"My officers, along with the sheriff's department, went ahead and went in, we ended up having to tranquilize the dog, the dog after being tranquilized jumped the back fence off the property there before being lose on the streets," said Tracey Wolfe, with the Kern County Animal Control.
Deputies tranquilized the dog a second time before finally catching it. They say the dog's aggressive-nature could be a result from owners having it chained up for too long.
“They felt some source of wanting to keep the yard secure because there was locks on the gates so it wasn't the case of neglect where they simply left the gates open and the dog ran out, they were, seem to be trying to keep the dog confined," she said.
Investigators say the dog's chain must have broken off and it got loose, which worries neighbors considering there's a school so close by and children constantly walking by every day.
“On this street there are a lot of loose dogs and I’m concerned for the safety of the children because I don't want this type of attack to happen again,” said Flores.
It’s unclear if the dog will be put down considering this is the dog’s first incident.
Animal Control officers are also waiting to hear from its owners as they continue their investigation.
(turnto23 - Nov 9, 2012)
