The Alaskan Malamute turned suddenly on the five-year-old as he and excited pupils queued up for a chance to stroke the Husky-like animal.
The child was bitten in the playground at Carniny Primary School in Ballymena, Co Antrim yesterday morning and was being treated at the specialist Ulster Hospital in Dundonald last night after being transferred from Antrim Area Hospital.
Carniny School principal Raymond Ross was clearly shaken as he said the animal was “a lovely dog, a dog that has never been any bother, a friendly dog”.
He added: “The class were talking about pets and the teacher said that she would bring in her dog at some stage to show the kids and the children were looking forward to that.
“The teacher’s husband brought the dog in today, into an enclosed playground. The children from outside the playground watched the dog play and jump around the playground and they enjoyed that. Then very, very simply the children were then given the chance to come in and stroke the dog one by one.
“There were a number of adults present there and the dog was in a very controlled position. A number of children had an opportunity to stroke the dog and were very happy with that.
“Suddenly the dog just turned on one little child, it’s as if he flicked his head to one side and just caught the little child in the face.
“From that moment the child was just was rushed into school and we went through all the emergency processes in school like contacting the ambulance, contacting the parents and getting the child’s welfare needs sorted out and then speaking to what ever external agencies we could about the matter.”
One source said staff at the school are “beside themselves with worry” for the wee boy after the incident.
The source added: “The dog was brought for a kind of meet and greet with the kids when it happened. Thankfully it seems the child’s injuries aren’t life threatening, but if he’s been brought to the Ulster it must be serious enough.
“There will certainly be a lot of questions asked about why an animal like that was brought into a school no matter how friendly it may have been before.”
In a statement, the North Eastern Education and Library Board said it was aware of the incident “involving a pupil and a dog that was under supervision”.
They added: “Clearly our thoughts are with the pupil and the parents at this time. The School and officers from the Board have been in contact with the relevant authorities and the matter is now being investigated.”
(Irish Mirror - June 29, 2013)
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