MASSACHUSETTS -- An 8-year-old Day Avenue boy, suffered a serious injury to an arm Tuesday afternoon when he was bitten by the family dog, officials said.
The attack, which occurred at the family home at 35 Day Ave., was reported to police shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday, Capt. Michael McCabe said.
The dog, a 3-year-old American bulldog, was euthanized by a veterinarian Wednesday at the request of the family. Fraser said it was the first time, as far as he knows, that the dog has attacked anyone.
Animal Control Officer Kenneth Frazer said there were initially concerns that the damage was so great that doctors at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield were not sure if the boy’s arm could be saved.
On Thursday afternoon he told CBS 3 Springfield, the media partner of The Republican and Masslive.com, that the boy’s father had told him that following an operation, the boy was able to successfully able to move his fingers.
The incident occurred shortly after the boy had been bouncing on a trampoline in the yard, Frazer said, adding that the dog had a history of “going crazy” when children used the trampoline.
The boy got off the trampoline and was attempting to pass through a gated area leading toward the house when his arm got stuck in the gate. The boy started yelling for help and the dog, which was on the other side of the gate, attacked his arm.
McCabe said the boy’s father told police that the dog had “territorial issues.” The bite started near the boy’s right shoulder and extended into his upper arm, he said.
(MassLive - April 04, 2013)
