JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 5-year-old Jacksonville boy is recovering after police said he was attacked by three dogs.
The attack happened Tuesday afternoon outside the boy’s home, according to a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office incident report obtained by News4JAX.
While it was unclear what led up to the attack in the report, according to the incident report, a witness and two other co-workers saw what was happening and ran over to help the boy by beating the dogs with a piece of wood to separate them from the child.
“I knew this day was coming. I just didn’t know who it was going to be. I didn’t know if it was going to be me or one of my workers,” Douglas Dixon said, owner of the construction company.
According to the incident report, the child suffered scratches and bites all over his body, including severely cut ears.
“All of them will get up and come after you. Not an attack, but let you know they are there,” Construction worker Jim Smith said.
After animal control was notified, police learned the dogs belonged to the boy’s family, and because the dogs were personal property, the family would have to act on the dogs, which includes containing the animals or personally surrendering them to animal control.
The boy’s mother told police she allowed her son to go outside, but she never heard the dogs attacking her son. She also said the dogs belonged to her mother.
The child’s grandmother told News4JAX the boy was playing on the trampoline when a stray dog came onto her property and got into a fight with her three dogs. She said her grandson tried to break up the fight when her three dogs turned on her grandson.
A doctor at Wolfson Children’s Hospital told police the boy suffered serious injuries to his face, head, neck, and torso.
“He is in a lot of pain, but he is going to be okay,” the grandmother said.
The grandmother said she is trying to get rid of the dogs because her grandson is in really bad shape.
“No, I don’t want them euthanized, but my grandson comes first, so whatever I have to do to get rid of them,” the grandmother said. “I’ve been trying to find homes for them because I do work a lot and I’m not here.”
After speaking with animal control, the grandmother agreed to go down to the animal control office to either surrender them or have them put down.