Pitbull Lunged at 8-year-old When Owner Opened Door
An 8-year-old boy suffered serious bite wounds Thursday night (July 20) after a dog lunged at him.
The incident happened shortly after 7 p.m. when the boy and a friend visited a property on Avenida Pescador in the unincorporated area of Home Gardens, located between the cities of Riverside and Corona. The two buddies were outside the front door of a friend’s home.
Emergency responders arrived to the house and the injured child was ultimately transported to Loma Linda University Medical Center. He suffered wounds near his eye and his mouth.
Riverside County Animal Services Officer Mary Salazar responded and impounded the dog, a brown-and- white, 6-year-old pitbull. The dog was not altered and the owner did not have proof that the dog was current with its rabies vaccination.
The dog was being quarantined at the Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley. The owner of the dog visited the shelter earlier today and filled out paperwork to relinquish the pet for humane euthanasia.
“In light of the boy’s severe injuries, we would have recommended that the dog be euthanized in the interest of public safety,” said Animal Services Lt. James Huffman. “Our hearts go out to the victim and his family as he recovers from this horrible, preventable incident.”
Fifteen days earlier, Officer Salazar visited the same property for a different bite caused by the same dog. She reminded the owner of that incident during her response last night. A public hearing had been scheduled for that July 5 incident, after a neighbor suffered four puncture wounds to his right forearm. The injuries required a hospital visit and the victim informed Officer Salazar that he had also suffered some nerve damage to some fingers.
A hearing was scheduled for July 25 and Riverside County Animal Services was seeking a potentially dangerous dog restraining order be issued. That hearing is no longer necessary since the owner signed the dog over for euthanasia.
