5-year-old boy attacked by family dog in Fryeburg

MAINE -- A 5-year-old boy was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland after a family dog mauled him.

According to Fryeburg animal control officer Kathleen Hathaway, the unidentified  boy from Brownfield was visiting a cousin's house at 581 Main St. in Fryeburg on Tuesday morning with his parents and the family's 7-year-old pit bull when the incident took place.

“We're not 100 percent sure what happened,” Hathaway said of the incident that was reported to the Oxford County Sheriff's Office at 11:48 a.m. “No one saw it.”

The dog, who did not have up-to-date rabies shot, was put down and his head transported to state labs in Augusta to test for rabies, said Hathaway.

Hathaway said the family said no one saw the attack, but the boy did tell family members and rescue workers that he was scratching the dog's neck when the dog bit him on the side of the face.

He was initially sent to Conway Memorial Hospital in Conway, N.H., and then taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland because of the severity of the wounds.

Hathaway said the family had the dog since it was a puppy and had never had a problem with it. It was not neutered, which some people believe can cause a more aggressive dog, and it was not up to date on its rabies shots. It had been diagnosed with Lyme disease.

The family told the animal control officer to put the dog down immediately.

“A lot's up in the air because no one saw what happened,” she said.

Hathaway said the town has had very few problems with dog attacks, but most times they have involved the pit bull breed.

She said one of the most important things any dog owner can do is to make sure the animal is up to date with rabies shots. Local clinics are an inexpensive source for the shots, she said.

(Lewiston Sun Journal  - Mar 18, 2014)