5 Year Old Viciously Attacked by German Shepherd in Orange Walk

Fernando Quixchan

But a five year old boy has survived a vicious attack by a German shepherd. Fernando Quixchan is recovering at the Northern Regional Hospital after he was bitten by the dog on Thursday. Quixchan received severe injuries to the head and face when the dog attacked him. It happened at around ten in the morning at the San Lorenzo Housing Site in Orange Walk Town. The victim’s family rents a section of a home there, and the dog belongs to the landlord. News Five was told that the attack was unexpected because the boy has become very familiar with the dog in the five months they have lived there. Today Police say they are waiting for an official report to be filed before they can take action.

Supt. Dennis Arnold, Officer Commanding Orange Walk

“Police were called out to the Northern Regional Hospital where upon arrival they saw a young boy about six years old with what appeared to be bite wounds from a dog on the head, on the jaw and on the lip. They went out to the San Lorenzo Housing Site and went to a house where the neighbour explained to them what had happened to the young boy and the dog. They were shown a German Shepherd mix and they were told that was the dog that bit the young boy.”

Reporter

“Have you all been able to talk to anybody to find out what occurred? Is that the role of the Police in something like this?”

Dennis Arnold

Supt. Dennis Arnold

“Yeah…we found out what happened. What happened…we were made to understand that two different families live in the same yard. Apparently the dog wasn’t tied. The child was going to feed a smaller dog, and upon taking the food or water for the smaller dog apparently the German Shepherd jumped on him and bit him.  I was made to understand when the mother heard the commotion in the yard, she came out and tried to get the dog off her child, then the other child, a little girl child, came out and apparently the dog went at her also, but she escaped.”

Reporter

“In situations like this, what happens to the dog?”

Supt. Dennis Arnold

“Usually if the dog is aggressive and uncontrollable we would put it down, but at present we have no authority or right because we haven’t been given an official Police report from the family as yet. The dog, since, has been moved from that area and is now with a friend who has a fenced yard.”

Neighbours in San Lorenzo told us that it took eighty stitches to close the wounds inflicted by the dog.