Mother: Son receives 17 stitches after dog attack

GEORGIA -- The mother of a 4-year-old boy says a neighborhood dog attacked her son.

Sara Hay said she's thankful her son Xander survived the dog attack, which left him with 17 stitches in his right leg and buttocks last month.

"If the dog had bitten him anywhere else, he would've been dead," Hay said.
  

She told Channel 2’s Audrey Washington that Xander was playing in the common area of their Snellville apartment community when the dog started to bite.

"The whole pants that he was wearing were just eaten off of him and that's when I saw all the bites down his legs," Hay said.

According to a report from Gwinnett County Animal Control and Welfare, the 15-year-old Akita was on its owner's patio on a tether, near the common area, at the time.

Exactly what prompted the dog to attack is still unclear. But, according to the report, the dog has bitten before.  

"The dog has bitten other children in the area and other animals," Hay said.

 There was no answer at the door when Washington went to the address listed for the owner of the dog.

But the owner did state in the animal control report the dog was up to date on vaccinations. At last check, the dog is still quarantined.

Hay said that's not enough.

"I think the dog should be put to sleep, that's my honest opinion," Hay said.

(WSBTV - April 6, 2015)