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‘Terrifying’ attack by aunt’s therapy dog in NYC apartment leaves boy, 11, seriously injurured
The seriously injured boy, 11, suffered wounds to his face, eye, head and arm
A young boy was allegedly attacked and mauled by his aunt’s therapy dog on Tuesday afternoon, August 29, at a New York City apartment, police and the victim’s family said. The seriously injured boy, 11, suffered wounds to his face, eye, head and arm. The dog, an American Bully pit bull mix, attacked the boy, Joshua, at the Smith Houses around 2:50 pm.
Joshua was reportedly listed in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital, and his aunt Johanna Lopez-Ramos revealed that he had a surgery early in the evening. Johanna said she believes that the dog, Aries, launched at the boy and his twin brother as they were “overwhelming” him before the attack. The brother had recently shifted into the apartment after their mother died of cancer.
“So I guess their strength was too much for the dog,”Johanna told reporters outside her apartment, according to New York Post. “I’m assuming that that must have been what happened.”
Johanna was in the bathroom when the attack took place. “I just heard my nephew screaming and I came running out of the bathroom and I just had to react quickly to separate them,” she said. Johanna was also bitten after the struggle ensued. Joshua's brother, Julian, said he witnessed the attack but was able to escape quickly.
The dog is being handled by the NYPD’s Department of Emergency Service Unit. It was taken away in a crate after the attack. Johanna said she is planning to have the dog put down, adding that the pup was never violent in the past. It was, in fact, her therapy dog for her mental health. “I feel a little distraught to be honest because he’s my dog who supports me emotionally,” she said.
“It’s terrifying because I’ve never seen such a thing,” Johanna added. “I see it on the news all the time with other kids and other people, but I’ve never seen it in my face.
