LUMBERTON, NC (WBTW) – A dog that bit a 4-year-old child in Lumberton was euthanized, Bill Smith, Director of Health for Robeson County, said on Thursday.
Smith confirmed the dog was a pit bull.
The 4-year-old boy who was bitten was hospitalized after the bite on March 26. Lumberton police said the boy’s family dog bit the boy while they were in the family’s back yard.
According to Captain Terry Parker with Lumberton Police, officers were called to the home in the 500 block of 11th Street around 3 p.m. Saturday, March 26. When officers arrived, they found the boy had been bitten in the face, explained Parker.
The child was taken to Southeastern Health where he was later transported to Chapel Hill Children’s Hospital. The condition of the child is not known at this time, says Parker.
The dog was delivered by police to the county animal shelter for 10-day observation, Smith said. If the dog had shown aggression during that period it would have been euthanized. Instead, Smith said the dog completed the 10 day period but not before becoming sick. As a result, animal control euthanized the dog for the safety of the rest of the animals, Smith said. He told News13 he did not know what the dog came down with, but he knew it wasn’t rabies.
The dog was chained at the time of the incident, police said.
Investigators from the Lumberton Police Department Juvenile Division along with the department’s animal control officer are conducting investigations into the incident. Anyone with information may contact Sgt. Pete Locklear with information at 910-671-3845.
