A six-year-old boy in Oregon lost his life after two dogs, believed to be Great Dane-Mastiffs, attacked him at a family friend’s home, the Portland Police Bureau reported Wednesday.
The incident occurred early Tuesday morning as the child was preparing to go to school, according to the New York Post. Police responded to the scene, where they were reportedly met by a bloodied woman. The woman said she is a friend of the boy’s grandmother and told the officers the attack happened in her garage when the child followed her inside, the NYP reported.
Police said the child had previously been warned to keep his distance from the dogs and the garage where they were kept, according to the NYP. The dogs were described as large and potentially dangerous.
Portland boy, 6, fatally mauled by friend’s dogs while getting ready for school https://t.co/mU9qWfEuqg pic.twitter.com/ZczXuU3JAy
— New York Post (@nypost) December 6, 2023
“We understand that the homeowner/dog owner did everything in her power to stop this attack, at some point even grabbing a gun – it never got that far,” PPB’s Public Information Officer Mike Benner said, according to Fox 12. “She did everything she could to save this boy’s life.”
“I speak for everyone at the bureau when I say that our hearts break for this little boy, for his family, for his friends. I mean, anytime something like this happens it’s a shock to the conscience but to have this happen just weeks before Christmas is unimaginable,” Benner added, per Fox 12. (RELATED: Woman And Child Mauled To Death After Polar Bear Wanders Into Alaskan Village)
The young victim was pronounced dead at the scene, and the family friend was treated at a nearby hospital for minor hand injuries she sustained from the attack, per the PPB. Officials reportedly noted the boy was routinely dropped off at the dog owner’s home by his grandmother for transportation to school, according to the NYP.
The dogs are now in custody of Multnomah County Animal Services, with one identified as the primary aggressor in the attack, the NYP reported. Although both were involved in the mauling, there were reportedly no prior reports of the dogs being problematic.
The possibility of charges against the family-friend remains uncertain as of this writing.