Good Friday took a grisly turn for one Florida family when a dog attacked an 11-year-old boy. The dog bit off the boy’s finger-although the boy’s father went to great lengths to save the finger, doctors were not able to reattach it.
This attack involved a family dog. Like many dog bite cases, this illustrates how unpredictable animal behavior can be.
The dog, a Malamute-wolf mix, was in a cage in the family’s back yard. When the 11-year-old son reached through the cage to pet the animal, it responded by attacking and biting his hand. The boy’s older brother tried to help by hitting the dog on the head-but by the time the dog released the hand, it had bitten through a finger.
Attacks on a family member by a pet are relatively rare and authorities have not said whether this dog had a history of dangerous or aggressive behavior. The fact that this dog bit a familiar person is a reminder that animals often behave unpredictably. Dog bites can come out of nowhere and, as this 11-year-old victim discovered, they can leave a lasting impact.
Source: Bradenton Herald, “Manatee dad kills family dog to retrieve son’s finger, but doctors can’t re-attach it,” Sara Kennedy, Mar. 30, 2013
