BRINNON – An 8-year-old Brinnon boy, attacked Monday by the family’s purebred bull mastiff, was resting at home Tuesday afternoon, nursing “extreme” wounds to his nose and the left side of his face, Brinnon Fire District No. 4 Chief Bob Herbst said.
“On a scale of zero to 10, his injuries were about an 8,” Herbst said.
“They sewed his face and nose back up.
“He’s doing very, very well. At this point, he’s recovering from his injuries. Doctors are keeping him under pretty heavy medication.”
Herbst, who said federal regulations prevented him from releasing the boy’s name, said the boy told him the dog attacked him in a bedroom.
“He was playing under the bed with the dog,” Herbst said the boy told him.
The boy’s father called the fire department at 12:57 p.m. Monday to report the incident.
Herbst did not know if the boy was bitten, clawed or both.
Back home after surgery
An EMT controlled the bleeding and stabilized him with intravenous solutions before Harborview Airlift Northwest transported the boy to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he underwent surgery Monday afternoon, Herbst said.
He returned home Tuesday.
The boy, who weighs about 100 pounds, never lost consciousness, said Herbst, who did not know the dog’s size and gender.
Bull mastiffs can weigh up to 130 pounds and stand 27 inches at the shoulder, according to the American Kennel Club.
Herbst said it was the first dog attack in the Brinnon area since at least February 2005, when he joined the department.
Jefferson County Animal Services is investigating the mauling and will decide if the dog should be euthanized, Sheriff Tony Herandez said.
“Most of the time, the dog does end up being put down,” he said.
“It depends on the circumstances. You have to look at what the exact reasons were, if there was any kind of provocation prior to the attack.”
Decisions to euthanize a dog can be appealed to District Court, Hernandez said.
Hernandez referred questions about the investigation to county animal services Officer Bruce Turner.
Turner did not return calls for comment Tuesday.
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Staff writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
