Daily Progress, Jacksonville, TX

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August 31, 2009

Pit bull mauls five-year-old

Staff reports

news@jacksonvilleprogress.com



A five-year-old Jacksonville boy was attacked by a pit bull Thursday. He was taken to East Texas Medical Center-Jacksonville before being transported to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas.

Keith Radcliff, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department chief deputy, said the incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. near a home on County Road 3331, just outside Jacksonville.

Witnesses stated the boy, Hunter Thorp, had gone to the home to tell them the owners’ pit bull was out when it happened. No one was present at the home during the attack.

“When the child neared the home,” Radcliff said, “the animal apparently attacked the boy, causing serious bodily injury.”

According to Courtney Gabbard, who lives at the residence with her boyfriend, the dog was raised by her boyfriend since it was a puppy, though the animal had only been at the residence for about three months. The child had helped the couple feed the dog and even played with the boyfriend’s son.

“There’s never been any sign he (the dog) would do something like this,” she said.

Authorities said neighbors helped in getting the dog away from the boy.

Radcliff said Thorp’s condition is stable, though he received lacerations to the scalp which exposed about 30 percent of his skull and destructive bite wounds to his hands. Skin graphs and hand surgery may be required.

The dog was quarantined at the Klein Animal Shelter after being taken by the Sheriff’s Department. No charges have been brought against the owner and an investigation is still underway to determine how the animal got loose.

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