VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A 2-year-old boy is recovering at Halifax Hospital after his family's dog bit him in the face, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said.
The boy's mother told deputies that she left her 2-year-old son and 5-year-old son inside the house with the dog, while she stepped outside to make a phone call around 4:50 p.m. Tuesday. She ran inside when she heard screaming and found her 2-year-old son with a wound on his face.
The mother told a 911 operator that his "cheek is hanging off," deputies said. The dog was still inside the home and was not showing any signs of fear or aggression.
Doctors told deputies that the bite didn't go through all the tissue of the cheek, but a pediatric plastic surgeon would be needed to close the wound.
The mother told deputies that the family adopted the mixed-breed non-neutered dog from a neighbor down the street about a month ago. That neighbor did not report having any problems with the dog, which is about two or three years old.
Tuesday's incident was the second time the dog bit the toddler, deputies said. Animal Control was supposed to arrive Monday to pick up the dog but never did.
The mother said she saw her two sons hitting the dog with pillows on Saturday, and she told them to stop. The toddler then took one of the pillows and placed it on top of the dog, which was lying on the floor, and tried to stand on top of the pillow.
The dog "snapped" at the boy and he was cut on the nose.
The boys were too distressed to tell their mother what led up to Tuesday's bite. Animal Control is scheduled to retrieve the dog Wednesday.
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