Boy attacked by Labrador mix (Port Angeles, WA)

Dog mauls 11-year-old Port Angeles boy
By Peninsula Daily News

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/83587812.html

Story Published: Feb 4, 2010 at 2:49 PM PST
Story Updated: Feb 5, 2010 at 10:27 AM PST
PORT ANGELES, Wash.

Police are scouring the city of Port Angeles for a dog that mauled an 11-year-old boy late Wednesday afternoon.

The dog is a 40- to 50-pound black Labrador mix.

The boy, who was at his home at 120 W. Fifth St. when he was attacked by his family's dog, was taken to Olympic Medical Center and then to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The name of the boy and his father are not yet available.

His neighbor, Kevin Talbot, who took him to the hospital, said he had been in contact with Harborview and that the boy was in good condition, but had needed several surgeries to repair the damage to his face and hands.

The boy's father was not home at the time of the attack, Talbot said.

Talbot informed the father of the attack when he returned home this morning.

In responding to the dog attack call, police found evidence linking the father to vehicle thefts, and he has since been arrested.

Police responded to the apartment complex at about 5:30 p.m. and after getting a search warrant for the apartment, where the dog still was, officers went in and caught the dog on a restraining pole, said Port Angeles Police Deputy Chief Brian Smith.

"We had captured the dog and taken it down the stairs only for it to break loose," Smith said.

"Earlier this morning, an officer saw it and pursued it and attempted to use his Taser on it, but the Taser missed, and unfortunately, the dog is still at large."

One prong of the Taser struck the dog but the other did not, so the electrical current was rendered useless, Smith said.

Smith said it was unknown whether the dog would react aggressively to other people or if the dog had been aggressive just toward the boy.

"Regardless of that, we are treating this as an aggressive dog," he said.

If anyone spots the dog, they should immediately call police at 360-452-4545 instead of trying to catch it themselves.