PUYALLUP, Wash. — A young boy in Puyallup was attacked by a neighbor’s dog while riding his bike and left the encounter with a bite to the ear.
According to police, the dog was taken into custody on Saturday.
The victim’s mother told KIRO 7 that the 12-year-old was riding his bike around the corner from their home when the dog charged him, unprovoked, and attacked him.
His parents say the situation could have been much worse, but a stranger stepped in to defend the boy.
The incident was caught on a neighbor’s home security camera. The footage shows the boy riding his bike on West Pioneer Avenue when the dog knocks him off the bike.
The boy starts running and screaming while the dog repeatedly jumps on him. A driver then starts honking, jumps out of the car and gets between the boy and the dog, scaring it off.
“This is not right,” Jen Briske, the victim’s mother, said.
Briske said her son needed stitches to fix a bite to his ear, adding that the dog was not up-to-date on its shots.
She said her son is still hurt, but even more shaken up.
“Now he is just freaked out,” she said. “He is so scared. He doesn’t want to go outside, doesn’t want to ride his bike.”
According to neighbors, the dog is usually chained to the bumper of a van in front of a home and has caused repeated issues.
The dog remained at the house the day after the attack, prompting a neighbor to post the video of the incident to Facebook. It received thousands of reactions.
“It should have been pretty easy to deem that dog dangerous,” Ben Swick, who posted the footage, said.
Less than 24 hours after the Facebook post, Metro Animal Services removed the dog.
“I just think the timing is interesting,” Briske said.
Briske is frustrated by the whole ordeal, but glad someone stepped in to help her son.
“The kid was very tough,” Ryan Meeker, the man who got between the boy and the dog, said. “He stood up against the beast.”
Meeker told KIRO 7 he is not a hero, but Briske disagreed.
“I had no idea how many great people there were around us,” she said. “I am so thankful we live here.”
A spokesperson for Metro Animal Services directed all questions to the Puyallup Police Department.
In a post to Facebook, Puyallup police said the dog was surrendered by its owners, the investigation is ongoing and it will not provide further updates
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